Alice

Later That Evening

After a long day of meetings and introductions, Jacqueline finally made it back to her office. She closed the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment as she let out a deep breath. The weight of the day pressed down on her, but there was also a strange lightness in her chest—a feeling she hadn't expected.

She walked over to her desk, sinking into her chair and staring at the stack of papers in front of her. But instead of diving into work, her mind wandered back to Aaron. His confident smile, the way he'd looked at her, the way he'd said her name—it was all so… distracting.

"Get it together, Jacqueline," she muttered to herself, shaking her head. "You're the CEO now. You don't have time for this."

But even as she said it, she couldn't help but smile. There was something about Aaron that intrigued her, something that made her want to know more. And maybe, just maybe, that wasn't such a bad thing.

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The Next Day

Jacqueline was in the middle of a strategy meeting when Emily slipped into the room, holding a cup of coffee and a mischievous grin. She set the coffee down in front of Jacqueline and leaned in, her voice low. "So, I just ran into Aaron in the break room. He asked about you."

Jacqueline's eyes widened, and she quickly glanced around the table to make sure no one was listening. "What did he say?" she whispered.

Emily's grin widened. "Oh, nothing much. Just that he's looking forward to your meeting. And that he thinks you're… what was it? Oh, right. 'Incredibly impressive.'"

Jacqueline felt her cheeks heat up, and she quickly took a sip of her coffee to hide her reaction. "Emily, stop."

"Stop what?" Emily asked innocently. "I'm just relaying a message. But if you want me to set up that meeting sooner rather than later…"

Jacqueline shot her a look, but there was no real annoyance in it. "Fine. Set it up. But this is strictly professional, okay?"

"Of course," Emily said, her tone mock-serious. "Strictly professional. Got it."

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The shared office was quiet, the only sounds were the soft hum of computers and the occasional clatter of keyboards. Anushka sat at her desk, her eyes glued to the screens as she monitored Dr. Otim's phone activity. Mark was at his desk a few feet away, scrolling through financial reports, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Suddenly, one of the computers beeped—a sharp, insistent sound that made Anushka sit up straight. Her eyes widened as she saw the notification: an incoming call on Dr. Otim's phone.

"Mark," she called, her voice tense. "You need to hear this."

Mark was at her side in seconds, his expression serious. "What is it?"

"A call just came through on Otim's phone," Anushka said, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she patched the audio through to the speakers. "I'm recording it, but we need to listen now."

Mark nodded, his jaw tightening as the call connected. A man's voice filled the room—Dr. Otim's voice, but it sounded strained, almost desperate.

"I'm done," Otim said, his tone low but urgent. "I've done everything you asked, but this… this is too much. Killing Alice wasn't part of the plan. I didn't sign up for this."

Anushka's breath caught, and she glanced at Mark. His face was pale, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

The other man's voice was colder, more controlled. "You knew what this was when you got involved. Don't act like you're innocent now."

"I'm not innocent," Otim snapped, his voice rising. "But I'm not a murderer either. Alice was a good woman. She didn't deserve this."

"She was a liability," the other man said, his tone icy. "And if you don't want to end up like her, you'll keep your mouth shut and do as you're told."

There was a long pause, and then Otim spoke again, his voice shaking. "I'm not killing anyone else. I'm done. You hear me? Done."

The line went dead, and the room was silent except for the faint hum of the computers. Anushka stared at the screen, her mind racing. "Mark…" she began, her voice barely above a whisper.

But Mark was already moving, pacing the room with restless energy. "He killed her," he said, his voice trembling with anger. "He killed my mom."

Anushka stood, her heart aching for him. "Mark, I'm so sorry. But this… this is proof. We can take this to the police. We can make him pay."

Mark stopped pacing, his eyes meeting hers. "No. Not yet."

"What do you mean, not yet?" Anushka asked, her brow furrowing. "Mark, this is huge. We can't just sit on this."

"We need to know who he was talking to," Mark said, his tone firm. "The man on the other end of that call—he's the one pulling the strings. If we go to the police now, Otim will clam up, and we'll never find out who's really behind this."

Anushka hesitated, her mind racing. "But… what if Otim tries to run? What if he disappears before we can get to him?"

Mark's expression darkened. "Then we'll make sure he doesn't. But we need to be smart about this. We can't risk tipping him off."

Anushka nodded, her resolve hardening. "Okay. So what's the plan?"

Mark took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "We keep monitoring his phone. If he makes another call, we need to be ready. And we need to figure out who that other man is. Whoever he is, he's dangerous."

Anushka sat back down at her desk, her fingers already flying across the keyboard. "I'll start tracing the call. If we're lucky, I can pinpoint the other man's location."

Mark placed a hand on her shoulder, his touch grounding her. "Thank you, Ruhi. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Anushka looked up at him, her heart swelling with a mix of emotions. "You'd manage. But you don't have to. I'm here, Mark. Whatever it takes."

Mark nodded, his expression softening. "I know. And I'm grateful. But… be careful, okay? Whoever we're dealing with, they're not playing around."

Anushka gave him a small smile, though her stomach was in knots. "I'll be careful. But you should know by now—I'm not exactly the type to back down from a challenge."

Mark chuckled, the sound tinged with relief. "No, you're not. And that's why I trust you."