Chapter 4 The Hacker and the Investigation

The moment the elevator doors closed, cutting off Lucian's intense stare, Zara let out a breath she felt like she had been holding for five years.

Her knees actually shook. She leaned back against the cool metal wall of the elevator and closed her eyes. The faint smell of his cedarwood cologne still lingered in her mind. It made her chest ache, a phantom pain from a past she had tried so hard to bury.

"Ms. Vance?" Chloe asked softly, stepping into the elevator behind her. "Are you alright? That was... intense."

Zara's eyes snapped open. The vulnerability vanished, replaced instantly by the cold, calculating CEO.

"I am fine, Chloe. Mr. Sterling just needed a reminder of who holds the power in this deal," Zara said, adjusting her crimson blazer. "Have the legal team draft the preliminary contracts. Make the terms aggressive."

Thirty minutes later, the black SUV pulled up to the private underground entrance of the Grand Royale Hotel. Zara had rented the entire top-floor penthouse for the month. It was heavily secured, requiring a special keycard just to access the floor.

As soon as Zara pushed open the heavy double doors of the suite, the quiet, corporate world melted away.

"Mommy!"

A tiny blur of pink tulle and chaotic curls slammed into Zara's legs. Mia.

Zara laughed, the icy mask shattering completely as she scooped her daughter up into her arms. "Hello, my little princess. Were you good for the nanny?"

"I was very good," Mia declared proudly, though she had a streak of chocolate smeared across her cheek. "Leo was boring, though. He just reads his big book."

Zara carried Mia into the massive living room. The floor to ceiling windows offered a stunning view of the city, but Zara's eyes were only on her boys.

Leo was sitting cross legged on a plush white rug, carefully turning the pages of an encyclopedia about marine biology. He looked up, his dark, serious eyes, Lucian's eyes meeting hers. He gave her a small, mature nod that always made Zara's heart twist.

"Welcome back, Mother," Leo said politely.

"Come here, you," Zara smiled, setting Mia down and pulling Leo into a tight hug, kissing the top of his head. He squirmed a little but secretly leaned into her embrace.

She looked around the room. "Where is your brother?"

"Liam is in the fort," Leo pointed to a structure made of expensive sofa cushions and silk blankets in the corner of the room.

Zara walked over and lifted a blanket. Liam, the quietest of the triplets, was sitting in the dark, his face illuminated by the blue glow of his custom tablet. His tiny fingers were flying across the screen at an impossible speed.

"Liam, sweetheart, what are you doing?" Zara asked gently.

Liam didn't look up immediately. "Just playing a puzzle game, Mommy. But the firewall was tricky."

Zara frowned slightly. "Firewall? What network are you playing on?"

Liam finally stopped typing and turned the screen toward her. "I wanted to see where you went today. So I looked up the building."

Zara's blood turned to ice. Displayed on the tablet was the private, highly secure internal network of Sterling Enterprises. Her four-year-old son had just bypassed a billion-dollar company's security system while sitting in a blanket fort.

But that wasn't what made Zara's stomach drop.

In the center of the screen was a digital employee profile. A high resolution photo of Lucian Sterling stared back at her.

"Mommy?" Liam tilted his head, his dark eyes looking at her innocently. "Why does the boss of this company look exactly like Leo?"

Meanwhile, across the city...

Lucian stood by the massive windows of his boardroom, staring out at the skyline. The room was empty now, but he could still feel her presence. He could still hear the cold, indifferent tone of her voice.

I am not the twenty year old girl who cleaned your floors, Lucian.

The heavy oak doors opened behind him.

"Sir?"

Lucian turned. It was Marcus, his head of personal security and his most trusted investigator. Marcus was a man who could find a needle in a haystack in the dark.

"You called for me, Mr. Sterling?"

Lucian walked over to the table and picked up the leather folder Zara had left behind. He gripped it so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"Zara is back in the city," Lucian said, his voice low and dangerous.

Marcus blinked in surprise. "Zara? The maid from five years ago? Sir, I thought she disappeared."

"She did. And now she is the CEO of Vance Design," Lucian threw the folder onto the table. "I want to know everything, Marcus. I don't care how much it costs or how many people you have to bribe."

"What exactly are we looking for, sir?"

Lucian's eyes darkened with a mix of possessive fury and desperate hope.

"Find out where she has been living. Find out who backed her company. Find out where she is staying right now." Lucian stepped closer to Marcus, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "And most importantly... find out if there is another man in her life. Because if there is, I am going to destroy him."