Leo's POV
Something was wrong.
I could feel it.
The kind of feeling that settles in your chest and refuses to leave.
The investigation was moving too quickly.
Too perfectly.
Every document.
Every accusation.
Every piece of evidence.
It was like someone had built the case months ago.
And that terrified me.
Because it meant Mick wasn't improvising.
He was prepared.
I sat in my office, staring at a mountain of reports.
For the first time in years...
I had no solution.
A knock sounded.
Kelvin entered without waiting.
His expression alone told me this wasn't good news.
"What happened?" I asked.
Kelvin tossed a file onto my desk.
"Another account."
My jaw tightened.
"Fake?"
He nodded.
"And they found it this morning."
I opened the file.
The account carried my authorization.
My signature.
My company credentials.
Impossible.
Yet there it was.
Black and white.
Convincing enough to ruin me.
"Someone had inside access," Kelvin said quietly.
I already knew.
The problem was figuring out who.
My phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
And immediately froze.
Mick: Tick tock, Leo.
Mick: How long do you think your empire will survive?
My grip tightened around the phone.
Mick: You should worry less about the company.
Mick: And more about Lana.
Every muscle in my body went rigid.
I stood so fast my chair nearly fell.
Kelvin frowned.
"What happened?"
I showed him the message.
His face darkened immediately.
"That's a threat."
"I know."
My heart pounded.
Not because of me.
Not because of the investigation.
Because of her.
Lana.
For the first time...
Mick had said her name directly.
And suddenly—
Nothing else mattered.
"I need to find her."
Kelvin stared at me.
"Leo, your company is collapsing."
"I don't care."
The words surprised even me.
Millions of dollars.
Years of work.
Everything I built.
None of it mattered if Lana wasn't safe.
Kelvin's expression softened.
Because he understood.
"You love her that much?"
I laughed bitterly.
"More than I ever wanted to."
Silence filled the room.
Then Kelvin smiled faintly.
"Good."
I frowned.
"Good?"
"Because that's exactly what you'll need if you're going to survive what's coming."
And somehow...
That worried me even more.
Meanwhile...
Across the city...
Lana sat alone in her apartment.
Completely unaware.
That someone was already watching.
From a parked car across the street.
Waiting.