Lucien Drake doubted that things happened by chance.
When people didn't have the discipline to search for patterns, they used coincidences as an excuse. In his world, patterns were everything: signals, reasons, and power.
The Quinn Consortium said there was a secret female heir with a sealed past. A young girl with eyes that looked too familiar showed up on a surveillance feed, and anonymous threats led to a coastal origin point.
Lucien did not think it was luck.
He called it a problem.
Problems needed answers.
He picked up his phone and called a number he hadn't used in over a year.
The phone rang twice before someone picked up.
A man with a drawl said, "You don't call unless it's serious." Smooth. Funny. Dangerous.
Lucien said, "Dante Kade." "I need you."
A quiet laugh. "That's new."
Lucien said, "I don't care about your humor." "I'm interested in your discretion."
The fun died down a little. "Who are we putting in the ground?"
Lucien said, "No one." "Not yet."
Be quiet.
"You're paying a lot for 'not yet,' Drake," said the next person.
"Say it."
Dante let out a breath that sounded like a smile. "Give me the details."
Lucien stared at the skyline outside his office window. "I want to find a woman. "She is not connected to the grid, and there is no path."
"That's not clear."
"Elara Ward was her name," Lucien said, using her name before she got married. "She used to be my wife."
The word didn't taste right.
The word "ex-wife" made it sound like something official and known. But Lucien had never made an official claim on her. The city had hardly heard of her before the divorce scandal broke.
Dante whistled softly. "That's... personal."
"I don't do personal things," Lucien said.
Dante laughed once. "Of course you don't."
Lucien's voice got quieter. "Look for her."
A break.
"Do you want her found or controlled?" Dante asked.
Lucien's jaws tightened.
"Found," he said.
"And the part about being quiet?" Dante asked.
Lucien's eyes got darker. "Nobody knows this has to do with me. No one, including the media, is aware of this. Not my family. Not the Quinn Consortium. "Not anyone."
There was a sense of excitement and curiosity. "The Quinn Consortium?" "Why should they care?"
Lucien didn't answer.
"Got it," Dante said at last. "I'll take it."
Lucien suddenly hung up the phone.
Dante Kade had made it to the Drake Group headquarters within an hour.
Not through the front door.
Lucien got one message:
The message was for the top floor. Stairs on the east side. Ten minutes.
Lucien left his office without saying anything, and employees automatically stood up straight in the hallways when he walked by. He kept going. Did not say hello to anyone. He walked up to the stairs and pushed open the door.
Dante leaned against the wall in a dark coat that looked expensive but didn't want to stand out. His hair was a little messy, like he had just come from a place more intriguing than a boardroom. He smiled, but his eyes didn't light up.
Dante said, "CEO Drake," without thinking. "Still allergic to the sun."
Lucien didn't pay attention to what was said. "What do you want?"
Dante's eyes darted across Lucien, piercing and judging. "Show me you're not wasting my time."
Lucien gave him the folder.
Inside were the few difficult data his team had discovered: hospital admissions, the trace route of the anonymous messages, the coastal origin place, and the child's grainy surveillance photograph.
Dante's eyebrows went up a little when he saw the picture.
He mumbled, "Is this the real reason for your call?"
Lucien's voice stayed flat. "She went away after her divorce. Someone made her feel scared. "I want to know who."
Dante looked over the pages, and his mood got more serious.
"These threats," he said, tapping on the printout of the messages, "are not random. The person who sent them wanted her to know she wasn't safe.
Lucien's chest got tight. "What do you mean?"
Dante said, "That means there's a goal." "It could be money. Use leverage. Blackmail. Or...
"Or what?"
Dante shut the folder. "Or the baby."
Lucien's eyes got smaller. "You think she's pregnant."
Dante replied calmly, "I'm guessing you wouldn't be this obsessed if there wasn't a reason."
Lucien moved closer and spoke in a low voice. "Don't guess."
Dante put up a hand. "Okay. There is no guesswork. "Just patterns."
Lucien's eyes got sharper. "Can you find her?"
Dante smiled again, but it was smaller this time. "Yes."
"How long?"
Dante said, "That depends on how much she wants to avoid being found." "Your ex-wife didn't just leave. She erased herself. That needs some thought.
That made Lucien unhappy. Planning meant having skill. Power.
It meant that he had completely misjudged her.
Lucien said, "She had help."
Dante nodded once. "It's likely." And the person who helped her may not be kind to you.
Lucien's behavior didn't change, but a chill settled behind his eyes.
"Then be careful," he said. "You don't leave a trail."
Dante looked at him for a while. "You're afraid."
Lucien's voice was cold. "I don't feel scared."
Dante laughed softly. "No. You feel like you own something."
Lucien's jaws tightened.
"Find her," he said again.
Dante put the folder under his arm. "I'll start with the lead from the seaside town. Someone usually sees something. "Even in quiet places."
Lucien's voice got lower. "Don't touch."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "You want me to look for her but not talk to her?"
"I want information," Lucien said. "Place. Condition: "Who is after her?"
Dante's smile got sharper. "And what if she's in danger?"
Lucien stopped for half a beat.
"Then tell me," he said.
Dante looked at the door to the stairs. "You know," he said casually, "it's funny how men like you think money can make things go away. But consequences usually get people to pay attention.
Lucien didn't answer.
He watched as Dante went down the stairs.
He felt worried in his chest for the first time since Elara went missing.
I saw the difference two days later in the beach town.
It started with little things.
A man at the café in the corner asked the barista too many questions. A car parked close to my street and stayed there for an hour. A stranger stood at the clinic entrance for too long, scrolling through his phone and watching every woman who walked out.
I didn't freak out.
I didn't run.
I told myself I wouldn't be scared anymore.
I watched instead.
And when I was sure it wasn't just my imagination, I made another choice that I couldn't change.
I called the agency.
After two rings, the encrypted line connects.
A calm voice said, "This is Orion." "Talk."
"I am testing my cover," I said softly.
A break. "Explain."
"There are people watching," I said. "Not local. Not interested. "Professional."
"Any direct contact?"
"No," I said. "Not yet."
I took another break, but this time it was longer.
"Do you think Drake is guilty?" Orion wanted to know.
My stomach tightened. "I don't know."
"Orion said, "Drake has resources." "If he's looking, he'll use third parties."
Third parties.
The words hit me like a cold stone.
"What should I do?" I asked.
Orion told them to "stay calm." "Don't confront. Don't move quickly. We will strengthen your cover. But you need to limit your exposure.
"I have to go to the clinic," I said. "And supplies."
"Make them smaller," Orion said. "And if you see the same face twice, you tell someone right away."
I hung up the phone and looked at the screen, which was blank.
My hands went straight to my stomach.
The baby kicked, though it was small and weak.
The feeling held me down.
The doorbell rang next.
Once.
Again.
I stopped.
No one came to my apartment without warning.
I didn't move.
The bell rang three times.
Slow.
Persistent.
I carefully walked toward the door and looked through the peephole.
A man was outside.
Very tall. Black coat. He had his hands in his pockets.
He didn't resemble the residents of that area.
He looked like he was going to cause trouble.
His head tilted a little, as if he could sense that I was behind the door.
He then smiled.
It wasn't lovely.
It was knowledge.
I couldn't breathe.
This was because I had never met him before.
But I could see in that smile that she was sure of herself because she knew other people's secrets.
And I suddenly understood very clearly—
Finally, Lucien Drake has sent someone to find me.