Chapter 53

When Kayla arrived at the office the next morning,her phone buzzed with a notification-Liam had transferred a hefty sum into her account.

The amount was staggering,twice what she'd spent renovating their house. Kayla stared at the balance,her heart untouched by the windfall. If only money could purchase her freedom.

Before she could set her phone down, Liam called."Can you take the day off? I need you to come with me to visit the Cooper family."

Kayla declined. "You can manage Johnny's dinner invitation to Zoe yourself. I'm not getting involved."

But Liam didn't miss a beat. "Kayla, Grandpa wants us both to handle this. You're not dumping it all on me. lf you refuse, I'll tell Grandpa, and let's see if he decides to pay you a visit in person."

A stern look crossed Kayla's face. He always resorted to threats to bend others to his will. Even retired,Johnny's influence ran deep. Crossing him could mean the end of her career in Trark.

But antagonizing Jeremy wasn't an option either-especially if he hadn't decided to introduce Zoe to the family. And then there was Zoe herself, a fraud whose secret could unravel everything at any moment.

Kayla's mind spun with worries, each one knotting tighter inside her skull.

Liam's voice cut through again, harder this time. "So what's it going to be? Are you coming, or should.Grandpa come knock on your door?"

Kayla snapped,"Stop talking. Wait for my call at noon!"With that, she hung up on him without another word.

Kayla pressed her fingers to her temples, drawing in a steadying breath. With no safe path forward,she decided her only move was to test the waters with Jeremy first.

"Kayla,Mr.Newton wants you in the conference room,"a colleague called out.

Kayla swept her files off the desk and hurried after the summons. "I'm on my way."

She pushed open the meeting room door and immediately spotted Edwin among the crowd, flanked by several representatives from North Investment.

For a split second, she hesitated-she'd forgotten Jeremy was sending his people over for today's meeting. Still, she figured this was her chance to pull Edwin aside later and ask a few discreet questions.

Archie, seated at the head of the table, caught sight of her and gestured her in. "Kayla, come join us. You'll be working on this project team from now on. Get acquainted with Edwin-he'll be around a lot."

Kayla crossed the room and greeted Edwin with a polite nod.

After some quick introductions and a whirlwind of discussion, Edwin and his colleagues wrapped up their.visit and started heading out.

Once they reached the ground floor, KKayla saw her chance.She walked Edwin and his team to the doors,then asked secretly, "Has Jeremy been especially busy lately?"

Edwin shot her a curious look, amused by her unexpected question. "He's always got his hands full.Why, did you want to speak with him?"

"Not at all." Kayla shook her head, brushing off the suggestion. "By the way, are Jeremy and Zoe seeing each other?"

Edwin gave a short laugh. "That's not the case at all."

Kayla arched a brow. "They are not?"

Edwin rubbed the back of his neck, paused to mull it over, then answered, "Not yet. But tonight, he's having dinner with your sister. He almost never invites women out like this."

Kayla's thoughts flickered back to the last banquet-she'd overheard Zoe extending that invitation, and Jeremy had accepted immediately. Clearly, he didn't mind Zoe's company.An odd tightness twisted in Kayla's chest at the memory.

Catching her thoughtful pause, Edwin queried, "Did you need to see Mr. Graham? If so, you could come with us to North Investment. I'm heading there now."

"No, no. Don't let me keep you. Take care." Kayla quickly waved him off, retreating a step or two. She watched from the curb as the group slipped into their cars and rolled out of sight.

Reaching the CEO's office at North Investment,Edwin nudged the door open and found Jeremy dressed in a fitted black shirt, lining up a shot at the billiards table in the lounge area.

Edwin strolled over as he informed Jeremy, "I'm back,Mr.Graham."

Jeremy shot him a sidelong look before flipping another cue in his direction. "Grab a stick and play."

Edwin gripped the cue,lingering by the pool table as he relayed, "I've spoken with Archie about the project.Didn't expect Kayla to join the team."

Jeremy leaned over for his shot, his expression unreadable. "Archie clearly thinks she's got potential.He wouldn't put her on this project otherwise-he's grooming her for bigger things."

Edwin nodded in agreement. "She's sharp. Handles her work better than most." Just then, the phone vibrated loudly on the nearby table. Edwin grabbed it and handed it over to Jeremy.

The butler's voice sounded from the other end, polite but urgent. "Mr. Graham, your father requests your presence for dinner tonight."

Jeremy set down the cue, strode over to the bar, and poured himself a drink. His voice came out cool and distant. "I already have plans tonight. Tell him I'll visit another day."

A brief silence lingered before the butler replied,almost pleading, "But sir, your father said he misses you. If you don't come, he'll head out to find you himself."

Irritation flashed in Jeremy's eyes. Johnny always resorted to these tactics, pushing him into corners.

"I get it," Jeremy muttered before hanging up.

Edwin asked worriedly, "If you have dinner with your father tonight,what about Zoe?"

Jeremy hesitated for a moment, weighing his options,then picked up his phone and dialed Zoe's number.