CHAPTER 89

CHAPTER 89
Tyler’s POV

I’d been laying the groundwork for this night since the first time Claire mentioned how overwhelming her new job felt. The key was never to push too hard, never to suggest something that sounded premeditated.

It had to seem spontaneous, natural. So, as we wrapped up a particularly long day at the clinic, I leaned against her workstation with an easy smile and said,

“You’ve been running yourself ragged this week. You deserve a drink or three. How about we grab something at that little bar down the street?”

Claire glanced up from her computer, hesitated, then gave a soft laugh. “Honestly? I could use it. But just one or two. I’ve got an early shift tomorrow.”

“Perfect,” I said, casual as breathing. “We’ll keep it low-key.”

Inside, my pulse stayed steady. This wasn’t about fun. It was about positioning, control, and extracting exactly what I needed without her realizing it.

The bar was dimly lit and warm, the kind of place where people loosened up just enough to say things they shouldn’t. We slid into a booth in the back corner, far from the noisy clusters of regulars. I ordered the first round: two whiskey sours, strong but smooth.

Claire smiled when the drinks arrived. “Wow, starting heavy?”

“It’s been that kind of week,” I said with a grin. “Besides, first round’s on me.”

The key to these nights was pacing. I let her drink hers slowly while keeping my own glass barely half-empty. When she reached the bottom, I flagged the server and ordered another round before she could protest.

“Come on,” I teased. “You earned it.”

Claire rolled her eyes but didn’t refuse. By the second drink, her posture had softened. The rigid professionalism she carried at the clinic began to melt away. Her voice grew warmer, her sentences longer. She talked about her siblings, her move to the city, the constant pressure of working in a place that catered to high-end clients.

I listened intently, nodding at the right moments, making sure to keep my own responses minimal but supportive. The less I said, the more she filled the silence.

By the third round, ordered under the pretense of “one for the road,” Claire’s guard was low enough for me to guide the conversation exactly where I wanted it.

“So,” I said lightly, swirling the ice in my glass, “you mentioned earlier that Dominic’s not the only VIP who shows up at the clinic. There’s someone else involved, right? A private donor or something?”

Claire didn’t flinch. That was good. If she’d been fully sober, she might have weighed her words more carefully. Instead, she sighed and nodded, taking a sip before answering.

“Yeah, Ethan, Dominic’s partner” she said, lowering her voice like it was a secret. “He’s… complicated. He doesn’t come in himself, but he funds a special account for certain treatments and expansions. Strictly off the books. Only Dr. Vargas and a couple of us have access.”

I tilted my head, feigning mild curiosity. “Sounds generous.”

“Exactly,” she said

I let her keep talking, storing every word in perfect detail, but I didn’t push further. Too much interest and she might get suspicious.

“Excuse me for a second,” I said after a while, standing with a sheepish smile. “Nature calls.”

Claire laughed, waving me off. “Go. I’ll try not to drink your next round while you’re gone.”

When I returned inside, I plastered on an easy smile, brushing off my absence with a joke about the bar’s terrible hand dryers. Claire laughed, still relaxed, none the wiser.

The server dropped off the check, and I slid my card across the table before she could reach for hers.

“My treat,” I said firmly. “Consider it thanks for showing me the ropes at work.”

That earned me a warm, slightly tipsy smile. More trust, more leverage.

We walked out together, the city humming around us. Claire’s apartment was only a few blocks away, and I made sure to keep the conversation light as we walked. She stumbled once on a cracked sidewalk, and I caught her elbow with a quick, steadying hand. She didn’t pull away.

When we reached her building, she unlocked the front door and held it open for me. I followed her up the stairs, casual, nonthreatening.

Inside, her apartment was small but tidy, a mix of unpacked boxes and carefully arranged keepsakes. She set her bag down and disappeared into the kitchen to grab water bottles.

That was my moment. I slipped a small, unremarkable keychain from my pocket, it was a cheap trinket that looked like nothing but meant everything and tucked it under the corner of her couch cushion.

When she returned, I accepted the water with a grateful nod, staying only long enough to make it seem natural. Then I excused myself, claiming an early morning task.

“Thanks for coming out tonight,” she said as she walked me to the door.

“Anytime,” I replied with an easy grin. “Next round’s on you.”

She laughed, closing the door behind me.

As I walked down the block, my mind was already several steps ahead. Tomorrow, I’d have a perfect excuse to return….“Hey, I think I left my keychain at your place.” Simple, harmless. And it would keep me woven into her personal space without raising alarms.

Back at my apartment, I sat at my desk with a blank sheet of paper and began writing. Every detail Claire had given me about Ethan’s account, I recorded meticulously. Names, phrases, the way she described the encrypted messages. Nothing was too small to note.

I folded the paper neatly and locked it inside a drawer, my mind already spinning with possibilities.

Tonight had been a success. Drinks, laughter, trust and all just pieces of a puzzle Claire didn’t even know she was building for me. And soon, Ethan would be part of that puzzle too.

All I had to do was keep playing my role, one move at a time, until every piece fell exactly where I wanted it.