After disconnecting her call, Delilah sat in the silence of the empty office, her mind racing with the possibility of the meeting ahead. She stared at her monitor, waiting for the notification she hoped would change the trajectory of her life. Within an hour, her phone rang. It was the same receptionist, her voice professional and crisp. "Ms. Cross, if you are available, you can meet Mr. St. James in an hour," she said.

Delilah felt a surge of adrenaline. "Yes, I am available," she replied, her voice steady despite her racing heart.

"I am sending you a message now," the girl continued. "Kindly show that at the entrance for security clearance."

Delilah let out a sharp victory laugh the moment the call ended. She was finally going to meet the architect of the St. James fortune. However, as she grabbed her bag to leave, her phone chimed again. This time, it was Jo.

"Hey, this is Jo," the voice said. "Listen, you asked me to hire someone to finish that project Gabriel gave you. He’s here and ready to work. Just give him your laptop, and he’ll take care of the rest."

"Not now, Jo," Delilah hissed, glancing at the clock. "I’m heading out for incredibly important work."

"You don't have much time to finish that project, Delilah," Jo countered. "He only needs one hour a day. Look, if you can't give him the laptop, just share your screen and give him remote access. You can go do your outside work, and he’ll handle the coding in the background."

Delilah hesitated, knowing the risks of unauthorized access to company systems. But the pressure of Gabriel’s deadline and the opportunity to meet Sebastian St. James were too great to ignore. "Fine," she snapped. She quickly set up the remote access, bypass protocols she barely understood, and handed over control.

Before rushing out, she caught sight of Philip at his desk. "Philip!" she called out. "Can you please shut down my system in exactly an hour? I have some background system checks running, so don't touch the mouse or keyboard until then. I’ll be back by lunch."

Philip looked up, surprised by her sudden departure. "Okay," he said simply. After she vanished through the glass doors, he wandered over to her desk, curious. He noticed the cursor moving on its own, lines of code rapidly populating a window. "Seems like she shared her system with someone else and gave them full access," Philip muttered to himself. "Is that really the IT team? Something feels off."

"Hey Philip, want to go for a break?" another colleague called out.

"Sure," Philip said, deciding to let the system issue rest for now. He left the room, leaving Delilah’s machine—and the company's internal data—in the hands of an anonymous contractor.

Delilah reached the headquarters of the JND Group twenty minutes later. It was one of the most imposing structures in the city, a glass-and-steel monument to the tech giant's dominance. I am going to be the owner of this one day, she thought, her ego swelling as she showed her security clearance at the front desk.

The receptionist led her to a massive office on the top floor. She knocked softly, and a commanding voice replied, "Come in."

As she entered, she saw Sebastian St. James standing by a floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the city. The family resemblance was striking. Gabriel had inherited his father’s sharp jawline, powerful physique, and height, though his eyes and softer facial features clearly came from his mother, whose portrait sat prominently on the mahogany desk.

Sebastian turned and sat in his chair, gesturing for Delilah to sit. Delilah was momentarily stunned; Gabriel’s family members looked like they belonged in a high-fashion magazine. Sebastian looked as if he were still in his thirties—young, handsome, and every bit the powerful figure she had seen in televised interviews. If Gabriel rejects me again, she thought wildly, maybe I should lure his father into being my sugar daddy.

Sebastian broke her train of thought with a firm, piercing gaze. "You mentioned to my staff that you are Gabriel’s fiancée. How am I supposed to believe you?"

Delilah reached into her bag and pulled out several photos. Some were genuine pictures from their college days, but others were carefully edited to make them look like a devoted couple. Sebastian studied them, his expression unreadable. "What is your name?"

"Delilah Cross," she said, projecting a mask of sweet sincerity.

"And your parents?"

"My mother is... social," Delilah lied, omitting her mother's penchant for expensive parties. "And my father is a businessman in the civil engineering sector."

Sebastian leaned back. "Why do you want to meet me? How do you even know who I am?"

Delilah leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Gabriel told me about you. Usually, it’s when he’s been drinking too much. He misses you terribly, Mr. St. James, but he’s too proud to admit it when he’s sober."

"He drinks?" Sebastian asked, his voice sharp with concern.

"Yes," Delilah sighed, pretending to be pained. "It’s how he copes."

"What does he say about me... or his mother?" Sebastian asked.

Delilah felt a cold sweat prickle her neck. She knew nothing about Gabriel’s mother—not even if she was still alive. She decided to play the "vague and concerned" card. "He doesn't open up easily. It hurts me to see him suffer like that. He told me you aren't on good terms, but his longing for family is clear. He actually forbade me from meeting you, but I couldn't just sit by while he was in pain. Are you not concerned about your son?"

Sebastian’s hard expression softened, his shoulders dropping slightly. "Gabriel asked me to stay away from him," he said quietly. "It wasn't my decision to be absent. I want my son back more than anything."

Delilah suppressed a triumphant grin. She had him. "Don't worry," she said, reaching across the desk to place a comforting hand on his. "I’ll take the first step for you. I’ll make sure you both talk again."

"Can you really do that?" Sebastian asked, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"I can," she promised. "And then he can finally take over the company and follow your legacy."

Sebastian shook his head. "I don't care about the legacy or the company. If he wanted to walk away from all of it, I’d leave everything behind just to have a relationship with him again."

Delilah was taken aback. She didn't want him to leave the fortune behind; the fortune was the whole point. "I think you’re just being emotional right now," she said quickly. "We can talk about the business later. I’ll focus on bringing him back to you first."

"When?"

"Just give me two months," Delilah said.

Sebastian leaned back, his eyes narrowing as he threw out a baiting question. "When I last had him tracked, he was working at the WS Group," he said, his voice flat. Even though Sebastian was perfectly aware that Gabriel was currently working at the IMN Group, he purposefully provided the outdated information to see if she would correct him or simply agree with whatever he said.

"He left there two years ago," Delilah corrected him, feeling a surge of power in being the one with the information. "We both work at the IMN Group now."

Sebastian nodded slowly. "I see. You work in the same office."

While she had passed this simple test of his current location, the ease with which she corrected a man of his stature only added to the growing sense of unease he felt about her.

Delilah stood up, extending her hand. "It was wonderful to meet you. I’ll come back with good news, but until then, please—do not contact Gabriel. It might spook him and ruin the progress I’ve made."

Sebastian shook her hand, but as she walked out the door, he remained seated, staring at the closed door with a puzzled, lingering doubt.