Chapter 42 FORTY-TWO
Lennox woke up alone, which was exactly how she'd gone to sleep but somehow felt wrong anyway. Her whole body was sore in ways that made her remember exactly what happened in the gym. Against the mirror. On the floor.
Fuck.
She grabbed her phone off the nightstand. Almost nine. Way later than she usually slept. The house was too quiet.
Callum's door was wide open when she stumbled past it on her way to the kitchen. Bed made perfectly. He was already gone. Of course he was.
There was coffee though. Still warm in the pot. He must've made it before leaving since Maria wasn’t here, which meant what exactly? That he was being polite? That last night meant something?
She poured herself a cup and tried not to overthink a pot of coffee like some kind of crazy person.
Her laptop was still on the dining table from days ago. She sat down with her coffee, opened it, stared at the screen without really seeing it. She should work. Do something productive. Not sit here replaying how his hands felt on her skin or the sounds he made when she bit his neck.
Stop it.
She decided to focus on the Westbrook files she had compiled but at this point she was starting to get irritated and eager to wrap things up, she was looking at evidence of money moving through shell companies, fake invoices, contracts that looked legitimate until you actually read them. Standard case of embezzlement but she still couldn't pin down who was behind it.
She scrolled back through the timeline. Further than she'd gone before. Trying to see when this actually started because that might tell her who had access, who had motive.
The first weird transaction stood out to her. Then another one a few weeks later. Then more, getting more frequent and more sophisticated. It seemed to start right after the Westbrook patriarch died.
She sat up straighter. Pulled up more files. The pattern was clear now that she was looking for it. Someone had opened new accounts during that time. Set up shell companies. Started moving money around when everyone was distracted by the old man's death and the will and figuring out succession.
It was smart, actually. Use the chaos while nobody's paying attention to the books when they're planning a funeral and fighting over inheritance.
But who had that kind of access? Board members. Senior executives. Someone close enough to the family to know when to strike.
She made notes, drew connections on a piece of paper because sometimes seeing it physically helped. The money trail was there but the names were fake, the companies were fronts. She was close but not close enough.
Her phone buzzed. Patricia asking about some event next week. Lennox ignored it.
She worked until her eyes burned and her coffee was cold. Ordered Thai food around six because cooking was not happening. Ate it standing at the counter, scrolling through her phone without processing anything.
The elevator dinged at eight.
Her whole body went on alert. Stupid. So stupid. They lived together. Of course he was coming home.
Callum walked in looking exhausted. Jacket over his arm, tie pulled loose. He saw her and stopped walking.
"Hey."
"Hey." She set her phone down too fast. "Long day?"
"Yeah. Back to back meetings. You?"
"Just working. On stuff. Computer stuff."
"Right."
God this was awkward. They were being so weird with each other it was almost funny except it wasn't funny at all.
He put his briefcase down on the counter. Pulled his tie off completely, shoved it in his pocket. Started unbuttoning his cuffs like he couldn't stand wearing the suit anymore.
"About last night," he started.
"We don't have to do this."
"Do what?"
"Talk about it. Dissect it. Make it into a thing."
"It is a thing though." He looked at her properly. "We said it wasn't going to happen again and then it happened again."
"I'm aware."
"So what do we do?"
She laughed but it came out wrong. "I don't know, Callum. You tell me. You're the one who showed up with a date two days after we decided to keep things professional."
"That was a business dinner."
"Well a beautiful woman was touching your arm intimately, it seemed more than business."
"Are we really doing this?" He moved closer. Not all the way but closer. "You want to talk about jealousy? Fine. Let's talk about it."
"I'm not jealous."
"You were punching a bag at midnight."
"I couldn't sleep."
"Because you were jealous."
"Because I was confused!" The words came out louder than she meant. "Because we slept together and it was amazing and then you said it was a mistake and I agreed because what else could I say and then you show up in pictures with some gorgeous woman and I have no right to be upset but I was anyway and I hate it."
Silence. He was staring at her.
She crossed her arms. "Happy now?"
"You think it was amazing?" His voice went quieter.
"That's what you got from that?"
"Answer the question."
"Yes. Obviously. It was amazing. San Francisco was amazing. Last night was amazing. You're apparently amazing in bed. Congratulations."
He moved fast. Crossed the space between them in like two steps and backed her up against the counter. Not touching her but close enough that she couldn't breathe right.
"Don't do that," he said.
"Do what?"
"Make it sound cheap like… like it was just physical."
"But it IS just physical Callum! Don’t you get it?"
“What do you want me to say Lennox?” he practically screamed. “I pride myself in being extremely put together, I never lose control! But you... you-
Lennox couldn’t let him finish “Do you remember what you told me the first day we met? You clearly stated that this marriage is a business arrangement and nothing more. The contract…”
He stepped back suddenly. Ran both hands through his hair.
"Get some sleep, Lennox."
"Callum..."
"Please. Just... get some sleep. We'll figure this out. Later. When I can think straight."
He grabbed his stuff and left. Down the hall to his room. Door closing with a soft click.
Lennox stood there in the kitchen, hands shaking, completely wrecked.
They were absolutely fucked. Both of them. And she had no idea how to fix it.