Dangerous Tenderness

Chapter 10

Isadora Blake barely slept.

Her father's letter lay on the bedside table, folded neatly inside its envelope. She had read it so many times that she no longer needed to open it to remember the words.

There is a man you must never trust.

His name is Lucien Grave.

By morning, she had made her decision. She would confront Lucien, and this time, she would not leave his office without answers.

At eight forty-five, she arrived at Grave Industries. The receptionist informed her that Lucien had requested not to be disturbed until nine, so Isadora waited outside his office.

A few minutes later, Daniel emerged from the accounts department carrying a stack of documents.

"Good morning, Miss Blake."

"Daniel, did you know my father?"

He stopped walking.

"I told you yesterday. I knew of him."

"Then why do you look uncomfortable whenever I mention his name?"

Daniel glanced toward Lucien's office.

"Some matters are better left alone."

"That's what people say when they have something to hide."

He lowered his voice. "Sometimes people remain silent because they know how much the truth can cost."

Before she could question him further, he walked away.

At nine o'clock, Lucien's office door opened.

"Miss Blake. Come in."

She entered and sat opposite his desk. He closed the document he had been reading and gave her his full attention.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes."

She removed her father's letter from her handbag and placed it on the desk.

"My father left me something."

Lucien's eyes settled on the handwriting. When he read the final lines, his expression changed.

"Where did you find this?"

"My mother kept it. She says it was written before he disappeared."

He returned the letter to the desk.

"And you came here because you believe I know what happened."

"I came here because my father specifically warned me against trusting you."

Silence settled between them.

Lucien eventually stood and walked toward the windows.

"Your father believed I had something he needed," he said.

"What?"

"The truth."

"About what?"

"The agreement he signed."

Isadora rose from her chair.

"You knew he signed it?"

"I suspected it."

"And you never thought to tell me?"

"I had no proof."

"You had his name in your records. You knew Victor Hale. You knew my father was connected to your business. How much more proof did you need?"

Lucien turned to face her.

"Your father approached me three days before he disappeared. He was frightened, though he tried to hide it. He told me someone was threatening to expose a financial agreement that could ruin his family."

"The agreement in the folder?"

"I believe so."

"Who was threatening him?"

"Victor Hale."

Isadora stared at him.

"My mother told me she met Victor the week before Dad disappeared. She said he wanted Dad to sign something."

"That would explain why your father's name appeared in the records, but it doesn't tell us what happened afterward."

"What did you do when your father came to you?"

"I offered to help him review the documents. He said he needed time to think."

"And then?"

"He never came back."

Isadora felt her throat tighten.

"Did you look for him?"

"Yes. I contacted the people handling his business affairs and provided the information I had to the authorities. But I couldn't prove Victor Hale was responsible for his disappearance."

"Why didn't you tell my family?"

"I tried to reach your father's business office. By then, the company was collapsing, and the people handling his affairs claimed they knew nothing about the agreement. Later, I discovered that several records had been removed."

"By whom?"

"I don't know."

She shook her head in disbelief.

"My family spent years suffering because of what happened to him. We lost our home, our money, almost everything. And you were here, knowing there was a connection?"

"I knew there might be one. That isn't the same as knowing what happened."

"But you could have told me."

"Yes," he admitted. "I should have."

His answer silenced her. She had expected excuses, not an admission that he had made a mistake.

"How am I supposed to know you're telling me the truth?" she asked.

"You aren't. Not yet."

She frowned.

"Then what do you expect me to do?"

"Check everything I've told you. Speak to the legal department. Examine the records yourself. Don't take my word for anything."

For the first time that morning, Isadora felt she was speaking to a man who understood that trust could not simply be demanded.

She took the letter and slipped it back into her handbag.

"One more question. Why did you hire me?"

"Because you were qualified for the position."

"That's the official answer."

"It's also the truth."

"Did you recognize my name during the interview?"

Lucien paused.

"Yes."

The admission hurt more than she expected.

"So you knew who I was."

"I suspected. I confirmed it afterward."

"And you said nothing?"

"I wanted to understand whether you knew anything about your father's disappearance before approaching you with questions."

"By hiring me?"

"By giving you a position you had earned."

Isadora looked at him, searching for the arrogance she had come to associate with him. It was there, but something else sat beneath it: exhaustion, perhaps, or regret.

"You had no right to investigate me without telling me."

"You're right."

She hadn't expected him to agree so easily.

Lucien returned to his desk and opened a drawer.

"There's something you should see."

He removed a photocopy of an old letter. The paper had yellowed at the edges, and a handwritten date appeared in the upper corner.

"This was among the documents recovered from the archive," he explained. "I didn't notice the name until this morning."

Isadora took it.

The letter was addressed to Victor Hale. Most of the writing concerned a financial disagreement, but one sentence stood out.

If anything happens to me, the original agreement must never fall into the wrong hands.

Beneath it was her father's signature.

"Why would he write this?" she whispered.

"Because he believed the agreement could be used against him."

"Does the original still exist?"

"I don't know. It wasn't in the archive."

Isadora looked up.

"Then someone took it."

"Possibly."

"Someone who knew it was important."

Lucien nodded.

She stared at the letter again. Her father had been afraid, and whatever he feared had been serious enough for him to leave warnings behind.

But why had he named Lucien in his personal letter?

"Did my father ever accuse you of doing anything wrong?" she asked.

Lucien's expression became difficult to read.

"Not directly."

"What does that mean?"

"He believed I knew more about Victor Hale's business dealings than I was willing to admit. He was right about that."

Isadora's heart beat faster.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"That I once did business with Victor Hale before discovering what he was involved in."

"And you never told my father?"

"I didn't know the extent of it until shortly before he disappeared."

She wanted to demand every detail, but she could see that Lucien was choosing his words carefully.

Perhaps he was still hiding something. Perhaps he genuinely didn't know the whole story.

For now, she had no way to distinguish between the two.

"I need time to think," she said.

Lucien nodded.

"Take all the time you need."

She reached the door before he spoke again.

"Isadora."

She turned.

"If anyone contacts you about your father, tell me."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"Because whoever sent that message knew about the connection between us. That means they may have access to information we haven't found yet."

"Or they know something you don't want me to discover."

"That is also possible."

She studied him for a moment.

"You really expect me to trust you?"

"No," Lucien said quietly. "I expect you to be careful."

---

That evening, Isadora returned home with more questions than answers.

Her mother was in the living room, sorting through old photographs. When Isadora mentioned Lucien's explanation, her mother listened without interrupting.

"He says Dad came to him for help," Isadora finished. "But Dad's letter tells me not to trust him."

Her mother placed a photograph on the table.

"Your father was afraid of many people during those final weeks."

"Did he ever mention Lucien by name?"

Her mother hesitated.

"Once."

Isadora sat upright.

"When?"

"A few days before he disappeared. Your father received a telephone call and became angry afterward. I asked him what was wrong, but he refused to explain."

"Did he say Lucien's name?"

"He said, 'Grave knows more than he admits.'"

Isadora felt a chill move through her.

Her mother continued, "I don't know whether he meant Lucien was helping him or deceiving him. I only know your father was frightened."

That night, Isadora placed the letter beside her bed again.

She could not dismiss Lucien's explanation, but neither could she ignore her father's warning.

Just before midnight, her phone vibrated.

An unknown number.

You asked Lucien Grave for the truth. Now ask him why he was the last person to see your father alive.

Isadora read the message twice.

Then she sat motionless, staring at the screen.

If the message was true, Lucien had left out something far more important than a business agreement.

And tomorrow, she would demand an answer.