GILDED RUIN

THE CONNECTION

KAEL POV

"Your ex-fiancée is sleeping with one of your employees."

Marcus dropped the file on my desk like it was evidence in a murder trial.

I looked up from my computer, and the mask covering half my face felt tighter than usual.

"What are you talking about?"

"Mara Voss," he said, pointing at the surveillance photos, "she's the woman Damien Cole was with, the one who was in bed with him when his wife walked in."

My hand froze on the mouse.

Mara.

The woman I'd been engaged to three years ago, the woman who'd wanted the ring and the name and the access to my money, the woman I'd walked away from when I realized she didn't actually want me, just what I could give her.

"You're sure it's her?" I asked.

"One hundred percent, security footage from the apartment building confirms it; she's been seeing Cole for at least two months."

I stared at the photos. Mara's face was clear in every shot, walking into Damien Cole's building, leaving in the early morning hours, smiling like she owned the world.

"She's using him," I said quietly.

"Obviously, but the question is why, what does she get out of sleeping with a mid-level finance guy who's embezzling pocket change?"

I leaned back in my chair, thinking.

Mara wasn't stupid; she was calculating. Every move she made had a purpose.

"She wants back in," I said, "she wants access to my world again, and she's using Cole as her entry point."

Marcus nodded slowly, "Makes sense, Cole works here, he probably talks about the company, about you, gives her information she can use."

"Except she doesn't know I know," I said.

"Yet."

My phone buzzed on the desk, and my mother's name flashed across the screen.

I declined the call without looking at it.

Marcus raised an eyebrow but didn't comment; he knew better than to ask about my family.

"What do you want me to do about Mara?" he asked.

"Nothing, let her think she's being clever, I want to see where this goes."

"And Cole?"

"Keep the surveillance going, I want to know every move he makes, every conversation he has, everything."

Marcus gathered the files and stood up. "You're playing a dangerous game, Kael, getting involved in employee drama like this."

"I'm not involved," I said, "I'm just watching."

"Right," he said, clearly not believing me, "and it has nothing to do with the woman from the hotel being Cole's wife."

I didn't answer.

He left, closing the door behind him.

I pulled up the security feeds for the legal department on my computer. The cameras were subtle, installed for safety reasons, but they gave me a clear view of the entire floor.

I found her desk easily.

Elina sat in her small cubicle, head down, fingers flying across her keyboard.

She looked professional, contained, like she was holding herself together by sheer force of will.

I watched her for longer than I should have.

She wasn't wearing her wedding ring anymore; her left hand was bare as she typed, and the pale line where the ring used to be was barely visible in the camera.

She'd taken it off.

Part of me wanted to walk down there right now, without the mask, and tell her everything, tell her I was the man from the hotel, tell her I knew about her husband, tell her she didn't have to face any of this alone.

But that would be selfish.

She came to me that night because she needed control; she needed to be the one making choices. If I revealed myself now, I'd be taking that away from her.

So I watched.

I watched her answer her phone and go pale.

I watched her grip the edge of her desk, as she might fall.

I watched her end the call and sit there staring at nothing.

Something bad had just happened.

My intercom buzzed, making me look away from the screen.

"Mr. Maddox, you have a call on line two."

I pressed the button, "I'm not taking calls right now."

"It's regarding the Cole investigation; the forensic accountant has new information."

I picked up the phone, "What did you find?"

"The embezzlement goes deeper than we thought," the accountant said, "Cole's been running a side scheme, taking money from client accounts and replacing it before audits; he's good, but he made a mistake last month."

"How much total?"

"Close to two hundred thousand over the past year."

I felt my jaw tighten under the mask.

Two hundred thousand, that wasn't pocket change anymore; that was serious fraud.

"Send me everything," I said, "I want a full report by the end of the day."

After hanging up, I looked back at the security feed.

Elina was still sitting at her desk, but now her head was in her hands.

I wanted to go to her.

I wanted to fix this.

But I couldn't, not yet.

My door opened without knocking, and my assistant, Sarah, walked in looking flustered.

"Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's a situation."

"What kind of situation?"

"Elina Vale from legal is in the lobby; she's requesting an emergency meeting with you."

My heart stopped.

"What?"

"She said it's urgent, about her husband Damien Cole, she knows he works here, and she needs to speak with you immediately."

I stood up, my pulse racing.

She was here.

In my building.

Asking to see me.

"When did she arrive?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Five minutes ago, she was waiting downstairs. Should I send her away or schedule something for later?"

I walked to the window, looking down at the city below.

Elina Vale was in my lobby right now, about to walk into my office, about to see the man behind the mask.

And she still had no idea I was the stranger from that hotel room.

"Sir?" Sarah was waiting for an answer.

I turned around, reaching for the mask to make sure it was secure.

"Send her up.”