Chapter 16 I MET A FRIEND
CHAPTER SIXTEEN — I MEET A FRIEND
NOVA'S POV
"Hey, you must be Nova Sinclair. I'm Jasmine Wells, I work in the cubicle just outside your office." She came in and leaned against my doorframe. "Welcome to acquisitions. How are you holding up so far?"
"Honestly? I'm terrified," I admitted.
She laughed. "Yeah, the first days here are rough. Especially when you're working directly under Callum Blackthorn. He's not exactly known for his warm and fuzzy management style."
"I noticed that when he ignored about six people greeting him this morning."
"Oh yeah, that's just how he is. Don't take it personally." Jasmine stepped fully into my office and closed the door behind her. "Look, I know you're new and probably overwhelmed, so I wanted to offer to help if you need anything. Show you where the good coffee is, which bathrooms are the cleanest, where to hide when you need five minutes of peace."
"That would be amazing, actually. Thank you."
"No problem. Us women have to stick together in this place." She pulled out her phone. "Here, give me your number. That way you can text me if you need anything and don't want to bother Callum."
I rattled off my number and she saved it.
"Perfect. I'm going to get back to work before someone notices I'm slacking off, but seriously, text me anytime. Even if it's just to complain about how cold the AC is here." She headed for the door. "Oh, and there's a group of us who usually grab lunch together on Mondays at this little cafe two blocks away. You should come if you want. We leave around noon."
"I'll think about it. Thanks, Jasmine."
She grinned and left.
I turned back to my desk just as someone else knocked. A man in his fifties with graying hair set a thick folder down.
"Miss Sinclair, I'm David Park, senior analyst in acquisitions. Mr. Blackthorn asked me to bring these to you." He opened the folder. "These are three companies we're considering acquiring. We need you to review their financials and give your honest assessment of whether they're sound investments. Take your time, ask questions if you need clarification on anything."
He left and I opened the first file, my heart pounding.
Numbers. Pages and pages of financial statements and projections and data.
I started reading, and something weird happened.
It made sense. All of it made sense in a way I hadn't expected. I could see where the company was strong, where it was weak, where the numbers didn't quite add up the way they should.
I lost track of time going through the files, making notes, and highlighting areas that concerned me.
My phone buzzed.
I grabbed it immediately.
Text from Matthias: How's the first day going? Not too overwhelming I hope.
My stomach did a weird flip.
I typed back: Surviving so far. Thanks for checking in.
His response came fast: Would you want to grab coffee sometime this week? I'd love to hear how it's going. No pressure.
I stared at the text for a long moment. Then typed: Sure, that sounds nice.
Perfect. I'll text you tomorrow to set up a time. Good luck with the rest of your day.
I set my phone down, trying to ignore the smile pulling at my lips.
Focus, I told myself. You have work to do.
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MATTHIAS'S POV
I stood at the window of my office in Kane Tower, phone still in my hand, watching the city spread out below me.
She'd texted back. She'd agreed to coffee.
Perfect.
I walked over to my desk and opened the file Reed had prepared. Inside were surveillance photos from this morning—Nova getting into Callum's car, Nova walking into Blackthorn Industries, Nova sitting at her new desk looking nervous and beautiful.
My people had been tracking her movements since Saturday. Every place she went, every person she talked to, everything she did. I needed to know exactly what she was up to.
She had no idea who I really was. No idea that Matthias Hale and Konstantin Voss were the same person. No idea that I'd been orchestrating things behind the scenes for months now.
I pulled up the second file on my computer. Project Blackthorn - Phase Two.
Everything was falling into place exactly as planned. Nova was inside Blackthorn Industries now, exactly where I needed her to be. Close to Callum and Elias, earning their trust, becoming part of their world.
And she was starting to trust me too. The coffee invitation proved that.
I looked at one of the surveillance photos again. She was smiling in it, talking to that Wells woman, looking confident despite her nerves.
Beautiful. Intelligent. Completely unaware of the role she was about to play in destroying everything the Blackthorns had built.
My phone buzzed. Text from Reed: Confirmed she received the warning text Saturday. No police involvement yet.
Good. The warning had been deliberate, designed to make her scared, to make her dependent on the Blackthorns for protection. To bind her closer to them.
Which would make it so much more devastating when I tore it all apart.
I closed the files and looked back out at the city.
"See you soon, Nova," I said to the empty office.