It was Wednesday morning, and the atmosphere around Ellie was light, almost buoyant. She woke up feeling a nervous, electric excitement. Tomorrow, Nick would return from West Town, and on Friday, they had the company party—their first public appearance as a couple, complete with the dizzying memory of their near-kiss still playing on loop in her mind.
She got ready quickly, choosing an outfit that was both professional and subtly confident. Freya, who had stayed with her, was ready too, and the two headed out to the VH Group headquarters.
As they approached the main entrance, Ellie’s phone buzzed with a text from the external event organizing team. They urgently requested her presence at the venue—the Park Hotel—to sign off on the main ballroom decorations and lighting plan before the evening setup began.
“Freya, I need your car,” Ellie said, quickly. “I have to head straight to the Park Hotel now to check on the décor. Nick put me in charge of overseeing the event, so I need to make sure it's perfect.”
Freya tossed her the keys. “Go for it. Let me know if you need me to approve any budget increases for extra glitter. I’ll hold down the fort here.”
Ellie drove across town to the Park Hotel. When she arrived at the grand ballroom, she found that Joy was already there, meticulously inspecting the floral arrangements and giving sharp instructions to the setup crew. Ellie sighed but joined her, giving her own suggestions on the lighting, which Joy surprisingly accepted. As the crew scattered to implement the notes, Joy and Ellie stood watching the transformation.
“You know, I seriously don’t know how an intern, even one as… resourceful as you, managed to secure the CEO as her date,” Joy commented, her tone a brittle mix of jealousy and grudging curiosity.
Ellie simply smiled, leaning into the lie she’d spun. “I told you, Joy, if you had only asked him first, he might have told you yes.”
Joy shook her head, her gaze distant. “I’m not so sure. I know exactly how he always behaves with me. Mr. Nicholas Vance is incredibly professional and utterly distant. He even corrected me when I once asked if I could call him ‘Nick’ after hearing the CTO do it. He insisted I address him as ‘Sir’ or by his full name.”
A warmth spread through Ellie’s chest as she realized Nick enforced that strict professional distance with everyone except Ethan and Tony—and, now, her. She was deeply aware of the sudden intimacy the recent crisis had afforded them.
Joy continued, oblivious to Ellie’s internal happiness. "But he does appreciate your work. I felt like in that meeting earlier, he was always talking about you, even when he was addressing the whole team."
Ellie, deflecting, said, “He didn’t appreciate me face-to-face. Actually, I remember telling him that your work was so good. I thought he was always talking about you.”
Joy’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of doubt passing across her face. “Really? Maybe I am only focusing on you, I suppose.”
Ellie offered a small, knowing sigh and moved away, deciding she'd pushed the teasing far enough for one morning.
Just as she was finalizing the placement of the appetizer stations, her phone rang. The number was unknown. She excused herself and stepped into a quiet corner, picking up the call.
“Hello, Ellie, how are you?” a familiar, nasal voice greeted her.
Ellie’s internal alarm immediately sounded. The voice was recognizable, but she couldn't immediately place the owner. "I'm fine. Who is this?"
The voice chuckled—a dry, brittle sound. “It’s only been two months since I left the office, and you’ve forgotten me already? It’s David.”
Ellie’s hand instinctively tightened around her phone. “David. Why did you call me?”
“It seems like you’re doing excellent work,” David said, his tone overly cordial.
“Who told you that?” Ellie asked sharply.
“Well, it was Joy,” David admitted.
Ellie gave a silent, disapproving sigh. "So, why did you call me, David?"
“I need to meet you,” he said, the jovial tone suddenly dropping.
“Why would I meet you?”
“Because I have something critical against the company that I want to share with you,” David stressed. “Something that will cause the VH Group’s downfall.”
“You could have asked Joy, why are you asking me?” Ellie challenged, suspicious of his motives.
“I can’t trust her,” David hissed. “She can’t keep things to herself. I heard you are close to the CEO now, and I trust you to give this information directly to him. Ellie, I know you don't trust me, but this is serious. I know I have done wrong things in the past—I was weak, manipulated—but I want to do good now.”
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “A few key competitors are behind the fraud, and they have prepared several other financial documents that will be the downfall for the VH Group. Those are all highly sensitive finance documents. It’s better if you come alone and collect them, discreetly, as it might tarnish the company's reputation and stock price if any other employees know about these financial scandals before the CEO does.”
The mention of “finance documents” and “company downfall” was a direct hit on her weak point. David was an enemy, but the possibility that there was still more exposed VH financial data—data she was responsible for—was terrifying. She had to confirm if he was lying.
“Where do I come?” Ellie asked, her heart sinking with dread.
Meanwhile, at NE Home, Nick had just arrived home early along with Ethan and Tony. He quickly called Freya.
“Hi, Nick! You made it back!” Freya answered excitedly.
“I just reached home. Is Ellie in the office? I wanted to surprise her.”
“No, she isn’t,” Freya said. “She went to check the event venue at the Park Hotel, remember? She took my car.”
“Okay, can you send me the address?” Nick said, already grabbing his keys. “I want to go there and surprise her.”
“Wait, let me call her, I need to check something first,” Freya replied.
“I already tried. Her phone is switched off,” Nick said, exasperated.
“Don’t worry, she took my car, and it has GPS tracking,” Freya assured him. “I’ll track the location and give you the exact address.”
A few minutes later, Freya called back, her voice tight with confusion. “Nick, my car is parked near the Barn’s Bar on White River Road. What is she doing there? She’s supposed to be at the Park Hotel—that place is known for being extremely shady.”
“White River Road?” Nick repeated, his blood turning cold. That name was instantly recognizable as a derelict, dangerous part of the city. “Why would she go there?”
As Freya tried to think, she glanced up and saw Joy in the hallway. Freya put Nick on hold and frantically asked Joy about Ellie’s location.
“Ellie? She was just here with me,” Joy said, slightly irritated. “She got a call, looked stressed, and just left abruptly.”
Nick, listening to the hurried exchange, didn’t need to hear more. He knew this wasn’t coincidence. “Okay, Freya, don’t move. I’ll see you soon,” he said, hanging up before Freya could question him further.
Nick got a call from his private investigator, Chris.
“Yes, Chris, any update?” Nick barked into the phone.
“Sir, I found David,” Chris said from the other end. “He’s at a derelict place called the Barn’s Bar on White River Road.”
Nick felt a shock that stole his breath. The same bar. He and David. “Are you watching David right now?”
“No, Sir, I think he saw me a few minutes ago, so I backed off quickly. I was just calling to inform you of the location.”
“Did you see any girl with him?” Nick urged, his voice tight.
A pause. “Yes, sir. A girl drove up and went in a few minutes ago. I caught a glimpse of her ID badge after she parked her car. It said… Elara.”
A primal, terrifying fury seized Nick. He grabbed Ethan and Tony. “Barn’s Bar, White River Road. Now!”
He rushed out of the house. Ethan and Tony followed. Nick drove Ethan’s sports car, pushing it to dangerous speeds, tearing through traffic. He needed to get there now.
Nick’s phone rang. It was Chris. “Sir, the bar is closed now—looks deliberately shuttered—but the girl’s car is still there.”
“I’ll call the police immediately,” Ethan shouted from the back seat, already describing the urgent, possibly violent situation to emergency services.
“I’m going to try to break in,” Chris said, determination in his voice.
When Nick, Ethan, and Tony finally reached the desolate White River Road, police sirens were wailing in the distance, but the bar was dark. Chris and the first patrol car were already attempting to smash through the reinforced back door.
Nick didn't wait. He sprinted past the officers and Chris and rushed into the shadowy, foul-smelling interior. His eyes scanned the room until they fell on a figure crumpled on the dirty floor, near the bar counter. It was Ellie. She was leaning against the wall, her expression slack, her beautiful eyes slowly, terrifyingly, closing.
"Ellie!" Nick roared, his voice laced with pure terror as he lunged towards her.
