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Chapter Five – Deeper Waters
Annabell spent the rest of the morning tracing the paper trail from Henry Osakwe's forged signature. The deeper she dug, the clearer it became that this was only one thread in a much bigger web. Someone had planned this sabotage for months—maybe years.
By noon, she needed a break. She slipped into the kitchen to make coffee, trying to settle her racing thoughts. As she stood by the marble counter, stirring cream into her cup, she felt Michael behind her.
"Annabell."
His voice was low—quieter than usual, but it carried that same edge of authority that made her pulse speed up.
She turned to face him. He was closer than she expected, close enough that she could see the tension in his jaw. The exhaustion in his eyes. The intensity that never seemed to waver.
"Yes?" she managed, her voice soft.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached past her, his hand brushing her waist as he picked up a file she hadn't noticed on the counter. Even that small contact sent a shiver down her spine.
"I need you to understand something," he said finally. "This investigation isn't just about the company. If we fail to find out who's behind this, thousands of people could lose their jobs."
"I know," she whispered. "I won't let you down."
Their eyes locked—hers wide and searching, his fierce and unguarded.
He exhaled slowly. "Good. Because you're the only person I trust in this house right now."
The words struck her harder than she expected. Before she could think better of it, she laid her hand lightly on his chest. She felt the rapid beat of his heart under her palm.
"Michael…"
For one charged instant, she thought he might kiss her. His gaze dropped to her mouth, then lifted back to her eyes, dark with something she couldn't quite name.
But instead, he stepped back. Just enough to pull the moment taut, like a wire between them.
"Finish your coffee," he said huskily. "I'll meet you in my office. There's more you need to see."
As he turned and walked away, Annabell let out the breath she'd been holding. Her hand still tingled from where it had touched him.
It was dangerous, this pull between them.
But she was already too deep to pretend she didn't feel it.
And part of her didn't want to.
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