Damien POV
The whiskey tasted terrible.
I stared at the contract documents spread across my desk. The Riverside Project. Lost to Aria Monroe.
Lost to my wife.
Ex-wife, I corrected myself.
"Mr. Blackwood?" My assistant's voice came through the intercom. "The board is waiting for your call."
I ignored him, opening a new search window instead.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard. Then I typed: Silver Springs pediatricians
Dozens of results appeared. I scrolled through them, looking for anything that might connect to Aria.
Nothing. She was too careful.
I tried another search: Aria Monroe child
Still nothing. No birth announcements. No social media posts. No school records.
She'd erased every trace.
My office phone rang. I picked it up without checking. "What?"
"The board wants to meet Monday morning." My assistant's voice was cautious. "To discuss next steps after the Riverside loss."
"Fine." I ended the call.
