THE HEIRESS THEY BURIED

THE TARGET

CHAPTER 10

VANESSA POV

“Dina Grant”

The name followed me out of AJ Global. I repeated it silently as I stepped into the elevator, keeping my face composed while my mind raced. Adrian’s cold welcome no longer bothered me, something else did.

I had watched his eyes follow her through the glass wall; it was brief, almost impossible to notice, but I knew Adrian too well to mistake it for ordinary attention.

He had never looked at anyone that way, not even me. When I reached the parking garage, I got into my car and sat behind the wheel for a moment, then her surname returned to my mind.

My stomach tightened.

I hadn’t heard that name in years, but some names never truly disappeared. Daniel’s death had buried more than a man. It had buried questions, secrets, and a past powerful people had worked hard to forget.

Now his surname belonged to a young woman working directly beside Adrian.

Could Dina really be his daughter?

For a moment, I tried to dismiss the thought. Plenty of people carried the surname Grant, and a name alone proved nothing but Adrian’s reaction had made the possibility impossible to ignore.

It has given me enough reason to find out. I drove straight to Hawthorne Holdings headquarters, to the only person I trusted enough to ask.

Gregory Hawthorne.

I had always respected him. He was intelligent, patient, and powerful enough to make people think twice before crossing him. Unlike most powerful men, he never needed to prove his authority.

When I arrived, I was taken directly to his private office.

Gregory looked up from his desk.

“Vanessa,” he said.

“Mr. Hawthorne.”

His eyes moved briefly over me before returning to the documents in front of him.

“You came without an appointment,” he said.

“I needed to see you.”

He pointed to the chair opposite him. “Sit,”

“I met Adrian’s new executive assistant today.”

Gregory barely looked up.

“And?” he asked.

“Her name is Dina Grant.”

For one second, nothing moved, then Gregory’s head snapped up.

“What did you say?” he asked.

“Dina Grant.”

His expression changed completely; the calm chairman I had walked in to see was gone.

“Grant?” he asked again as if he needed to be sure he had heard me right.

“Yes, she introduced herself to me,” I said calmly.

Gregory pushed himself to his feet so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor.

“That can't be true.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

He reached for his phone; I watched him dial a number.

The call connected almost immediately.

“Marcus,” Gregory said.

A voice answered on the other end.

“Yes, sir?”

“I need you to start monitoring someone inside AJ Global," Gregory said.

“Who?” the voice asked.

“Dina Grant," Gregory replied.

“Understood,” the voice said.

“I want everything, her movements, contacts, and employment history. Find out where she goes, who she meets, and who she speaks to," Gregory said firmly.

“Yes, sir," the voice answered.

“And listen carefully. If she starts asking about her father, I want to know immediately. Keep your surveillance invisible; she must not know she is being watched inside the office,” Gregory said.

“Yes, sir," the voice replied.

Gregory ended the call and lowered the phone slowly.

He looked at me.

“You said she works for Adrian?” he asked.

“Yes, I saw her with my eyes, she is his executive assistant.”

“Does Adrian know who she is?” he asked.

“I suspect he does.”

“And you are sure?” he asked.

“I saw enough to make me suspicious. He was defensive when I asked him why his eyes kept darting towards her.”

Gregory walked toward the window; for several seconds, he said nothing. Then he turned back.

“If Dina Grant is Daniel Grant’s daughter, this changes everything, she cannot start asking questions.” His voice was low now.

I watched him carefully, he wasn’t reacting like a man hearing an old name from the past, he was reacting like someone who had spent years making sure that past stayed buried.

“You believe she could discover what happened to her father?”

“If she is who we think she is, she is already too close,” Gregory replied.

The words sent a chill through me. Gregory had always been composed. But now I could see fear beneath his controlled expression.

“Then what do you want me to do?”

His eyes settled on me.

“While my spy is doing his investigation inside Adrian's office, find out everything you can about her,” he continued. “How she came to AJ Global and, most importantly, find out whether she knows anything about her father.”

“I will.”

“You must do it without Adrian knowing,” he said.

A smile slowly touched my lips. “He won’t.”

“And Vanessa, do not let your personal feelings interfere with the investigation,” he said firmly.

I knew exactly who he meant; I had spent years trying to convince myself that I no longer wanted him, but the moment I saw him again, I knew I had been lying to myself, and then I saw the way he looked at Dina.

“I know what I want.”

Gregory’s eyebrow lifted. “And what is that?” he asked.

“I want the truth about Dina Grant and I want Adrian back.”

The two desires were dangerously connected now. The closer Dina became to Adrian, the harder it would be for me to separate the investigation from what I wanted personally.

I knew Gregory expected me to remain focused, but he didn’t understand what it felt like to watch another woman occupy the place I once believed belonged to me.

I wasn’t going to let jealousy make me careless, but I wasn’t going to ignore it either.

I stood up from my seat and walked towards the door.

Gregory said nothing. The faint expression in his eyes told me he understood exactly what I meant.

I stepped out of Gregory’s office, but my mind was already racing.

I would find the answers by any means necessary because I know Gregory's plan will help me remove Dina from Adrian’s life while I take my rightful place beside him.

I walked through the lobby with a renewed confidence, stepped into my car, and pulled away from Hawthorne Holdings.

As the city lights passed outside my window, I smiled. I had a new mission, to find out who Dina Grant really was and win Adrian back.

Whatever stood between me and both goals would have to move because I had no intention of losing twice.