Chapter 53 Twice by One Shadow
"That dress is handmade lace. You'll love the way it looks on me." Celeste's voice dropped lower, her fingertips brushing lightly along the edge of Alexander's shirt collar. "Tonight... I'll wear it for you. Will you let me?"
Her tone left no room for misunderstanding.
Alexander's smile deepened into something warmer, indulgent. He lifted a hand and traced the curve of her smooth cheek with the back of his fingers.
"Not tonight, darling. I have a stack of urgent files to handle. After the movie, I'll need to come back here to the office. It might be late. Once I get everything under control, I'll come back to you. All right?"
Celeste's body stiffened almost imperceptibly against his shoulder, the sweetness on her face freezing for a fraction of a second.
But she recovered quickly, slipping back into her soft, affectionate act.
"I see..." She tilted her head up and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth before slipping off his lap with practiced ease. "Fine. Work comes first. But you promised—within a few days, you have to come back and spend the night with me. No backing out."
"Of course. When have I ever lied to you?" Alexander rose as well, tucking a loose strand of her golden hair neatly behind her ear.
"Then I won't keep you from your work." Celeste gave him a bright, sweet smile as she picked up the designer handbag resting beside the chair. "And don't forget—tonight is our movie. You're not getting out of that."
She moved toward the door with a light, almost birdlike step.
The moment the door swung open, she came face-to-face with Liam.
"Liam." Celeste's expression shifted instantly into polite warmth. She greeted him with an easy smile, then added in a casual, almost offhand tone, "Oh, by the way, I heard there was some trouble at the apartment last night. Did something happen to Caroline? Is she all right? Where did Alex put her? Is she safe? I was a little worried."
Liam's face remained neutral as he gave a small, formal bow.
"Please rest assured, Mrs. Hamilton is perfectly fine. Mr. Hamilton has relocated her to a quieter residence to recover. I'm afraid I can't reveal the exact location—it's for her safety."
He paused briefly before adding, "In fact, Mrs. Hamilton is here in the building right now. At Mr. Hamilton's request, she's assisting with some light administrative work. She's safe."
Here? In the company?
Celeste's smile faltered by the slightest fraction, a flash of something sharp and cold flickering in her eyes.
But in the next heartbeat, she masked it with a look of pleasant surprise. "Really? That's wonderful. With you and Alex looking after her, I can relax."
She touched her chest in a small gesture of relief.
"Well, I won't keep you. You're busy."
With a polite nod to Liam, she walked briskly toward the elevator.
Liam remained where he was, watching her disappear around the corner, his brow tightening slightly.
There was something... off about Celeste.
Still, his gaze drifted toward the closed door of the CEO's office behind him. He was just an assistant. Some things, even if you saw them, even if you suspected them, had to stay locked inside. His boss's private life was not his to comment on.
Forcing the thoughts aside, Liam straightened his suit jacket and knocked on the office door.
"Come in."
He stepped inside.
Alexander was already seated behind his wide desk, a few documents spread open before him. But his eyes weren't on the pages. His mind was elsewhere.
"Sir," Liam began, stopping in front of the desk. "Regarding the incident at the apartment last night involving Mrs. Hamilton—there are no definitive leads yet. Our team swept the entire building and, under the guise of maintenance, entered most of the units. We found no obvious signs of forced entry or escape routes. This suggests the intruder was already inside the building at the time, and may still be there."
Alexander's brow furrowed slightly.
No wonder there had been no trail to follow—the threat had been hiding in plain sight all along.
The most dangerous place was often the one you thought you knew best.
And to move freely inside his own apartment complex... there had to be an insider.
"There's something else, sir." Liam's voice dropped a notch.
"During the sweep, our team found trace amounts of chemical residue in a concealed corner of the twentieth-floor fire escape. The preliminary analysis from the tech department shows a strong match with the accelerant used in the last apartment fire. The samples are undergoing further testing, but the odds are high it's the same substance—meaning the same source, or the same... person."
Alexander's head snapped up.
"You're saying the arsonist from last time and the one who tried to kill Caroline could be the same person? And that person has been inside the building this whole time?"
"Based on the connections between the evidence, that's the most likely scenario," Liam answered carefully. "Both incidents targeted Mrs. Hamilton. Both avoided or disabled the security systems, and both cleaned up the scene afterward. That's not something an outsider could pull off in a short window of time. Only someone deeply familiar with the building's structure, its security layout, and the residents' routines could do it."
An insider. Someone embedded close enough to watch. Maybe for a long time. Maybe someone he trusted.
"Find them," Alexander said coldly. "Re-screen every single person in that building, even the ones who've been there for years. I want to know who's bold enough to act right under my nose."
"Yes, sir." Liam's spine straightened instinctively.
After covering the most urgent matters, Liam hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"One more thing, sir. Tomorrow night there's the charity auction dinner. The client you've been wanting to work with will be there. As usual, you'll be expected to bring a companion. Should I prepare arrangements for Celeste?"
"No." The refusal was immediate.
An event that demanded this level of etiquette and presentation... she wasn't the right choice.
Alexander was silent for a few seconds, then spoke again, his voice cold and absolute. "Contact a styling team. Tell Caroline she's coming with me tomorrow night. She should be ready in advance—and make sure she doesn't show up looking like she stepped out of a nightmare."