Chapter 3

Maybe it was her sudden guilt or maybe she just couldn’t face me; halfway through dinner, Stephanie got a call and quickly excused herself, claiming she had an urgent matter to attend to.

“Do you need a ride?” I asked with a polite smile.

She waved me off. “No, no, Rachel, someone’s picking me up.”

I watched her leave from the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling window. She didn’t wait for anyone, though—she slipped straight into a cab. Feeling a twinge of suspicion, I got into my car and followed.

The taxi’s destination was, oddly enough, my own office building—the same place where Daniel works, where I’d recently bought that emerald. This was odd, since by that hour, most people had already left for the day.

Stephanie seemed cautious, glancing around with her black mask covering most of her face. Once she reached the front entrance and saw no one else was around, she hurried inside.

Narrowing my eyes, I parked and crept into the building, trailing her down the dim, empty hallways. Only one office still had a light on: Daniel’s.

I held my breath and moved closer to the door. Through the narrow crack, I saw the scene that would forever etch itself into my memory.