Love and Business

Chapter 3: The Proposal

Chapter 2: The Proposal

The next morning, Liz awoke with a weight on her chest. The events of last night, especially the kiss, lingered in her mind like an unspoken truth. Her heart still raced when she thought about it, but her thoughts weren’t just about the kiss—they were about everything that came after it. Rob had seemed just as surprised by the moment as she was, his easy confidence giving way to a subtle vulnerability she hadn’t expected to see.

She glanced at the clock beside her bed. It was almost 8 AM. The day ahead was full of potential—the fraud investigation that Rob had hired her for was already on her mind. It wasn’t the first time she’d helped companies uncover financial discrepancies, but this case felt personal. Something about it felt different.

With a sigh, Liz swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching to shake off the lingering fog of sleep. She moved to the window of her hotel room, staring out at the bustling city of Dallas. She’d always loved this city—the energy, the possibilities, the constant hum of activity. But today, it felt distant. The city felt unfamiliar in a way she hadn’t expected, and it had nothing to do with her time away. It was the way Rob had shown up in her life again.

After a quick shower and a hasty breakfast, Liz packed her things and headed out. She couldn’t afford to dwell on the emotions running wild in her chest. There was work to do, and she had to remain focused on the task at hand. Business, not pleasure. That’s what she had to keep telling herself.

Arriving at King Industries felt like stepping into a different world. The sleek, modern building in the heart of downtown Dallas was nothing like the ranch she’d visited last night. It was all glass and steel, a testament to Rob’s ability to merge his family’s ranching legacy with his ambitions in the tech world. Inside, the space was immaculate. Minimalistic yet sophisticated. The open floor plan, with its polished concrete floors and expansive windows, gave an air of quiet power—exactly the way Liz imagined Rob to run his company.

When she arrived at his office, the receptionist greeted her with a polite smile. “Good morning, Ms. Walters. Mr. King is expecting you.”

Liz nodded, her thoughts drifting back to the conversation she’d had with Rob last night. The moments they’d shared were haunting her, and she had to shake it off. Rob King was all business. She needed to remind herself of that before she stepped into his world again.

The elevator doors opened with a soft chime, and Liz made her way down the sleek corridor to Rob’s office. The doors were slightly ajar, and she hesitated for only a moment before stepping in.

Rob was standing behind his desk, his back to her as he stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows that gave a panoramic view of the city. The warm sunlight from outside bathed him in a soft glow, the muscles in his broad shoulders outlined by the light. The sight of him—standing there, so poised and in control—was a reminder of how much time had passed. But it also stirred something inside of her. Something that was undeniably magnetic.

“Liz,” Rob said, his deep voice breaking her thoughts as he turned to face her. He straightened slightly, as if in preparation for their conversation, and there it was again—his steady, unwavering gaze. It was the same look he had when he ran meetings, making decisions that affected millions, but there was something else in it now. Something that made her pulse quicken. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Liz smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She didn’t want to show him how much she was still affected by their brief interaction. “Of course. I’m here to help, Rob. You know that.”

“Good,” he said, his voice firm but with a subtle note of gratitude. “I appreciate you taking this on. There are some irregularities with the company’s finances that I’m having trouble tracking down. I’m hoping you can make sense of it.”

He gestured toward a large flat-screen monitor on the desk. The financial documents she had received earlier were now pulled up, their figures swimming in front of her. She moved forward to take a closer look, feeling the cool air of the office against her skin.

As Liz scanned the documents, she felt her mind kick into gear. These weren’t just random discrepancies. Someone was manipulating the data, moving funds around in ways that weren’t easy to spot. Whoever was behind this knew exactly what they were doing, and they had access to high-level information. It wasn’t a simple mistake—it was deliberate.

“This isn’t just sloppy accounting,” Liz muttered, her fingers scrolling through the numbers on the screen. “This is coordinated. Whoever’s behind this knows what they’re doing.”

Rob stepped closer to her, his presence as commanding as ever. He crossed his arms, his eyes fixed on the screen as he studied the data with her. “I’ve been looking at the transactions for weeks. The numbers don’t add up. It’s like someone is hiding something right in plain sight, and I can’t figure out where the leak is.”

Liz’s mind was already moving through the possibilities. She could feel Rob’s intensity, the urgency in his tone, but there was something else there, too. Beneath the business-focused exterior, she sensed a hint of vulnerability. He was opening up to her in a way that no one had ever done before—not with this level of trust.

“I’ll need more than just the data,” Liz said, her voice steady as she looked up at him. “I’ll need access to the full records, any communication related to these transactions. And, if you’re willing, I’d like to talk to some of your senior staff. The fraud could be coming from within.”

Rob nodded. “I’ll have my assistant pull everything for you. You’ll have full access to whatever you need.”

“Good,” Liz said, tapping a few more notes into her phone. She looked up, her gaze meeting Rob’s. “I’ll get started right away. But if you really want to find out who’s behind this, we might need to think outside the box. We’ll need to go deeper than just the numbers.”

There was a brief silence between them, and Liz could almost feel the weight of his gaze. Rob didn’t speak at first, his lips pressing into a thin line, but then he exhaled deeply, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly.

“I’m counting on you, Liz,” he said, his voice low and sincere. “I need this done. King Industries is everything to me, and I won’t let anyone destroy it.”

Liz nodded, feeling the weight of his words settle in her chest. There was a fire in him, a relentless drive to protect what he had worked so hard to build. And in that moment, she realized something she hadn’t allowed herself to consider before: She wasn’t just here for business anymore. She was part of something bigger now.

“Don’t worry,” she said, her voice quiet but firm. “I won’t let you down.”

As she turned to leave, she felt Rob’s eyes follow her. His words from the night before echoed in her mind: I trust you.

She had no idea where this partnership would lead, but for the first time in a long while, Liz felt like she was on the verge of something important. Something that could change everything.