Chapter 5
Zara's heart hammered violently against her ribs. She stared at the glowing tablet in her four-year-old son's hands.
Lucian's digital employee photo stared back at her, his dark eyes looking far too much like the little boy sitting quietly on the rug just a few feet away.
"Mommy?" Liam asked again, tilting his head. "Did you hear me? He looks just like Leo. Is he related to us?"
Zara forced herself to take a slow, steady breath. Panic was a luxury she couldn't afford. She knelt down on the soft carpet next to Liam's blanket fort and gently pushed the tablet down so the screen faced the floor.
"Liam, sweetheart," she said, keeping her voice light and steady. "There are eight billion people in the world. Sometimes, people just have similar faces. It's called a coincidence."
Liam frowned, his brilliant little mind clearly processing her words. "But his facial structure matches Leo's by ninety-two percent. I ran a quick scan."
Zara's blood ran cold. Ninety two percent. She needed to shut this down, immediately.
"Liam," Zara said, her tone shifting to her firm, no nonsense mother voice. "What did we say about hacking into private servers without permission?"
Liam looked down at his lap, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "That it's illegal. And that I shouldn't do it unless it's an emergency."
"Exactly. And this is not an emergency." Zara gently tapped the back of the tablet. "Delete the firewall breach. Wipe your digital footprint. If you ever look into Sterling Enterprises again, I am taking your tablet away for a month. Do you understand me?"
Liam's eyes widened. A month without his tech was his worst nightmare. "Yes, Mommy. I'm sorry. Wiping it now."
Zara stood up, her hands trembling slightly as she smoothed down her skirt. She walked over to the massive windows and looked out over the city lights.
It was too close. Lucian was too close.
"Chloe," Zara called out to her assistant, who was working quietly at the dining table. "Double the security detail on this penthouse floor. Nobody gets in or out without my personal approval. Not even room service."
Chloe blinked, surprised by the sudden intensity in Zara's voice. "Right away, Ms. Vance."
The Next Morning
Zara stepped out of the private elevator into the grand, marble floored lobby of the hotel. She was dressed for war again, wearing a sharp white suit and a pair of dark sunglasses. Chloe was right beside her, reading off the morning schedule.
"The car is waiting outside, Ms. Vance. Your first meeting with the European investors is in twenty minutes."
"Good," Zara said, her heels clicking sharply on the marble. "Let's"
She stopped dead in her tracks.
Standing right in the center of the lavish hotel lobby, blocking the main exit, was Lucian Sterling.
He wasn't wearing a suit today. He wore a dark, fitted sweater and black trousers, making him look less like a CEO and more like a dangerous predator. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, and his dark eyes locked onto Zara the second she stepped out of the elevator.
People in the lobby were whispering, completely intimidated by his presence. But Lucian didn't care about anyone else. He only saw her.
Zara's stomach did a violent flip, but she raised her chin and walked straight toward him.
"Mr. Sterling," Zara said coldly, stopping a few feet away from him. "Are you lost? Sterling Enterprises is ten blocks away."
Lucian stepped closer, invading her personal space. The scent of cedarwood wrapped around her again.
"I don't like waiting, Zara," he said, his voice a low rumble that sent an unwanted shiver down her spine. "I had my team look into you last night."
Zara's heart skipped a beat. Did he find out about the kids? She kept her face completely frozen. "Is that so? And what did you find, Lucian? That I am much more successful than your little tech division?"
Lucian's jaw tightened. "I found out that Vance Design is worth billions. I found out you are ruthless. But you know what else I found?"
He took another step closer, forcing Zara to tilt her head up to look at him. His eyes burned with intense frustration and something dangerously close to obsession.
"I found out that your personal life is completely erased," Lucian whispered, his gaze dropping to her lips for a fraction of a second before meeting her eyes again. "No photos. No addresses. And you have military grade security guarding the top floor of this hotel."
Lucian leaned in until his lips were inches from her ear.
"What exactly are you hiding up there, Zara?"
Chapter 6
Lucian was so close that Zara could feel the heat radiating off his chest. His dark eyes searched her face, hungry for a crack in her icy armor.
What exactly are you hiding up there, Zara?
For a split second, panic fluttered in her throat. Did he know? Could he hear the phantom laughter of Mia or see the genius in Liam's code?
But Zara was no longer a frightened girl. She was a queen who had built her empire from the dirt. She let out a soft, mocking laugh that cut through the heavy tension like a knife.
"Hiding?" Zara stepped back, putting a cold, professional distance between them. She looked him up and down with absolute boredom. "Lucian, you flatter yourself. I am a billionaire with enemies across three continents. I have military grade security because my life is valuable. Not because I am hiding something from you."
Lucian's jaw clenched so hard she thought his teeth might crack. He hated that she wasn't intimidated. He hated that she was looking at him like he was nothing more than an annoying speck of dust.
He opened his mouth to fire back, but a smooth, deep voice interrupted them from across the lobby.
"Zara, darling. Are we ready to go?"
Lucian's head snapped toward the voice.
Walking toward them was a man who looked like he had just stepped off a European runway. He was tall, with dirty blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. He wore a custom navy suit that fit him perfectly.
This was Julian, the Chief Operating Officer of Vance Design. He was Zara's right hand man, her fiercest protector, and to the outside world, her rumored boyfriend.
Julian walked right up to Zara and casually placed a warm hand on the small of her back. The gesture was so natural, so intimate, that Lucian physically stiffened.
"Is there a problem here?" Julian asked. His voice was polite, but his blue eyes locked onto Lucian with a deadly, silent warning.
Lucian looked at Julian's hand resting on Zara's waist. The temperature in the lobby seemed to drop ten degrees. Lucian's hands balled into fists inside his pockets. The possessive fury radiating from him was so intense it was almost suffocating.
"I don't believe we've met," Lucian growled, stepping forward. He didn't offer his hand. "I am Lucian Sterling."
"Julian Pierce," Julian replied smoothly, keeping his hand exactly where it was. "Ah, the tech division we are acquiring. It's a pleasure, Mr. Sterling. Though I usually prefer my business meetings in a boardroom, not ambushing my CEO in a hotel lobby."
Lucian's eyes flashed with absolute murder. "I wasn't talking to you." He shifted his dark gaze back to Zara. "Is this who you brought back with you? Is this the reason your past is erased?"
Zara felt a dark spike of satisfaction. The great, untouchable Lucian Sterling was jealous. He was actually losing his mind right in front of her.
"My personal life is none of your business, Mr. Sterling," Zara said smoothly. She turned her body slightly, leaning into Julian's touch just to twist the knife a little deeper. "We have a multi million dollar merger to finalize. I suggest you go back to your office and prepare. Julian, the car?"
"Waiting right outside, darling," Julian smiled down at her, his eyes softening.
Without giving Lucian another glance, Zara and Julian walked toward the spinning glass doors. Chloe hurried closely behind them.
Lucian stood frozen in the center of the lobby. He watched Julian guide her into the back of the waiting black SUV. He watched the car pull away into the busy city traffic.
He had never felt a rage like this before. It burned in his chest, hot and violent.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit a speed dial number. It rang exactly once.
"Marcus," Lucian barked into the phone, his voice dripping with pure ice. "Forget the background check. I need you to find everything you can on a man named Julian Pierce. And Marcus?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Find me a way into the top floor of that hotel. Tonight."
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