Chapter 68: Stalker

The conference room was silent but heavy — the kind of silence that comes before a storm. The glass walls overlooked the city skyline, the late afternoon sun stretching long shadows across the polished table. The hum of the air conditioner filled the space, cool and indifferent, as three men stood clustered around the center of the room.

Joseph’s jaw was tight as he peeled back the flap of the large envelope that had arrived on Pablo’s desk an hour ago, marked Confidential. He had assumed it was related to the merger — maybe contracts, legal documents, or an acquisition proposal. But as he tipped the contents out onto the glossy surface, his gut clenched.

Photographs — dozens of them — spilled across the table.

He froze. The first image showed Pablo at a restaurant patio, leaning across the table toward a woman. The next — the same woman laughing, her hand resting against his cheek. And then more. Photos of Pablo and the woman walking together, sitting in a car, standing on her front porch in the evening light.

But what made Joseph’s stomach twist wasn’t the romance of it. It was the intimacy — the kind of closeness that shouldn’t have been captured by any lens but love itself.

“Jesus,” Joseph muttered, shuffling through the stack. Then he stopped short, eyes narrowing at one photo.

“No.”

“What is it?” Alexander demanded, already striding around the table.

Joseph didn’t answer. He pulled out several of the more private photos, sliding them aside, face down. “You don’t need to see those,” he said, voice low.

Alexander snatched one of the remaining photos and went still. His knuckles tightened around the edge of the print. “What the hell is this?”

Nick leaned forward, squinting. “Is that—”

“Pablo,” Joseph confirmed grimly. “And the woman is—”

He didn’t get the chance to finish. Alexander slammed his fist onto the table, the crack echoing through the room. “What the hell is he thinking?!”

The photos fanned out beneath his hand — Pablo smiling beside a woman Joseph recognized instantly. Her name had come up once, briefly, in conversation. Giana.

A preschool teacher.

And then, among the photos, a smaller one slipped free — a picture of a little girl on a playground, sunlight caught in her hair. Glorianna.

Alexander froze, his breath catching in his throat. “Is this…?”

Joseph nodded grimly. “Gloriana.”

The shift in Alexander was immediate — fury melted into something deeper, colder. His hand hovered over the photo of the little girl, his voice rough. “She’s just a child.”

Nick exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. “This explains his secrecy, doesn’t it? The calls he took outside, the late nights, the trips that didn’t match the schedule—”

Alexander’s glare cut through the air. “He’s been lying to us.”

“No hes hiding not lying. A man of his status has to use caution. It explains everything.,” Joseph said carefully.

Alexander turned on him, his expression dark. “You knew, didn’t you?”

Joseph hesitated, then straightened his posture. “I knew only that they went on a date.”

“A date?” Alexander’s voice was sharp. “You mean to tell me this—” He gestured to the table, to the photos scattered like evidence. “—is just a date?”

Joseph’s tone remained measured, though his own pulse was spiking. “I knew only what I saw. The morning Pablo went missing — you remember that? When he didn’t show up for the investor meeting? I found her there. In his bed.”

The words hit like a slap. Nick groaned, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead. “Unbelievable.”

Alexander turned away, pacing a short line across the room, his suit jacket tugging with each step. “This is what he’s been hiding. This is why he’s been distant. God, what the hell is he doing getting involved with someone like her? Does he realize what this could cost him — what it could cost us?”

“He’s not thinking about cost,” Joseph said. “Look at his face the only thing He’s thinking about her.”

“Fantastic,” Nick muttered. “Love story of the year.” He rubbed at his temple before looking up again, his voice shifting from irritation to business. “Okay. We have to get his ass here. Now. Before this spreads.”

Alexander stopped pacing. “Do we know who sent it?”

Joseph shook his head. “No return address. Delivered by courier, no name on file.”

Nick frowned, scanning the table. “This isn’t random. Someone’s trying to expose him.”

Alexander’s eyes darkened. “Then we’re already a step behind.”

Nick folded his arms, mind working. “Fine. We deal with this smart. Joseph, what do we know about the girl?”

Joseph hesitated before answering. “Not much. Her name’s Giana. She’s Glorianna’s preschool teacher. Beyond that — nothing concrete. No record of connections to the company, no background that stands out.”

“Then we find out,” Nick said firmly. “Everything. Who she is, where she came from, who she talks to. If someone’s using her to get to Pablo, we’ll know.”

Alexander nodded once, jaw tight. “And if she’s the reason he’s distracted — she’ll wish she wasn’t.”

The men stood in silence for a moment, the photos spread before them like a battlefield of trust and betrayal. Outside the glass walls, the city pulsed on — unaware that somewhere within those glittering towers, a storm was brewing.

And in the center of it all, Pablo was nowhere to be found......again.