Rachel stood up slowly and she quickly walked to Stephen, who stood still on the doorway, her eyes narrowed, "Stephen," she said, "Why are you here?"
Stephen stayed composed and offered a polite nod, "Miss Rachel, Mr. Nicholas asked me to deliver something to you personally."
She crossed her arms, blocking the entry just slightly, "He could've had a courier drop it off. Why send his right hand?"
Stephen held up a leather envelope, "You forgot your signed copy of the marriage contract at the restaurant and Mr. Nicholas didn't want it mishandled."
Rachel hesitated, then took the envelope, her fingers brushing its smooth surface as her eyes searched Stephen's face for something more.
"And the bags?" she asked, eyeing the designer gift bags by his side.
"Mr. Grey also instructed me to bring you these," Stephen said, lifting the bags up gently, "A gesture of goodwill."
Rachel gripped the door tighter as she turned toward Stephen, "Let's continue this outside," she said softly, pointing towards the hallway.
Stephen nodded, but before he could move, a faint sound caught him, a soft rustle from behind her. His gaze shifted from Rachel, just in time to catch a glimpse of a small figure sitting up on the couch.
David.
And that was when Stephen paused.
Something about the boy's features, the sharp eyes, the arch of his brow, the firm set of his jaw.
Stephen froze in place, confusion flickering in his eyes.
Rachel noticed it immediately and stepped between them, blocking David from Stephen's view.
Stephen's gaze remained fixed beyond her. "Who's that?" he asked, his eyes still not leaving the young boy.
"Stephen," Her voice sharper, "Outside, Now!"
That snapped Stephen out of it, and without another word he turned and went into the hallway, The image of the boy still burning in his memory.
Just as they entered the hallway, Tessa came down the stairs hurriedly, holding up a small paper bag and called out, "Rachel, I got the medicine for David, he should take it before he falls too deep in sleep."
Rachel's heart dropped instantly at the sound of her son's name.
Stephen, who still stood silent and was about to speak again, paused mid-sentence, his eyes shifted curiously as the name 'David' settled in the air.
Tessa turned the corner into the hallway, only then did she notice the man standing before Rachel.
Her eyes danced from Stephen to Rachel and instantly read the tension.
Rachel forced a small smile and stepped forward quickly, "Tessa, thank you," she said. She grabbed the medicine bag from Tessa's hand and added lightly, "You didn't have to shout from the stairs, you scared my client."
Stephen raised an eyebrow, "Client?"
Rachel turned to Stephen with a polite smile, "Yes, Stephen here is just helping me sort through some legal paperwork regarding a property," she then turns to Tessa, "I'll be sure to give Daniel, the neighbour's kid I babysit, his drugs."
Tessa, catching on fast, nodded slowly, "Oh sorry about that, I didn't realize someone was here, I'll go check on Daniel."
Rachel gave her a grateful look, "Right, Daniel, Poor thing's been coughing all afternoon."
Stephen looked like he was about to say something but stayed silent, clearly confused but unable to put everything together.
"I'll just get this inside," Rachel said, gripping both the bag and contract, "Stephen."
Stephen gave her a slow nod, his expression unreadable, "Very well." and then he leaves.
Rachel watched him leave and only when he had exited the building, did she allow herself to exhale.
She returns into the apartment and sees Tessa holding David. Tessa looked like she was about to bring it up, but Rachel raises her arm,
"I really don't want to talk about it." Tessa nods and returns her gaze to David.
Rachel moved toward the window, pulling the curtain aside just enough to watch him walk down the driveway, he wasn't rushing, he was in fact taking his time glancing around like he was taking the neighbourhood to memory.
Was Nicholas keeping tabs on her?
How else would Stephen have known exactly where she lived?
Had Stephen followed her after one of her meetings with Nicholas?
Rachel turns away from the window, rubbing her arms as if to warm herself from the cold feeling crawling up on her. She walks over to David and she sits on the edge of the couch, her mind made up.
If Nicholas thought he could manipulate the situation from behind closed doors, she needed to ensure she wasn't playing in the dark. He had humiliated her once before and had cornered her with this sudden marriage proposal, throwing her into a mess of secrets, contracts, and obligations.
She needed more leverage on her side, Nicholas couldn't be ahead of her, not any more.
Rachel picked up her phone, "Hello, P.I, I need info on someone, Nicholas Grey."
Back at the office, Nicholas was seated behind his large desk, eyes scanning through a thick stack of legal documents. His mind wasn't entirely present there, though, a part of him was still heavy on Rachel.
A knock at the door broke through his concentration.
"Come in," he said without looking up, already assuming it was Stephen returning from his assignments. He was eager to hear how Rachel reacted to the delivery and whether Stephen noticed anything else.
But the voice that followed wasn't Stephen's voice.
"Well, I see you still haven't changed, always buried in your paperwork like you're running the whole damn country."
Nicholas's head snapped up instantly, his expression hardening into anger the moment his eyes landed on the man standing in the doorway.
"Thomas," he said through his teeth, as he stood slowly, "What the fuck are you doing here?"
Thomas Thorne, his half brother, resting casually against the door frame, his hands in his pockets, wearing that same grin Nicholas always hated. Dressed sharply in a navy blazer and open collared shirt, looking every bit the charming troublemaker he had always been.