?Chapter 318:


    Cole nced over, his eyebrows lifted. “What’s gotten into you? Why do you want toe to the office all of a sudden?”


    Without hesitation, Elliana spat out her lie with practiced ease, “Well, I am the CEO’s wife, aren’t I? If I never show my face, how will your employees know who Mrs. Evans is? I have a reputation to uphold. And honestly, I need to remind all those shameless flirts outside that you’re strictly off the market.”


    Cole clearly liked the sound of that. His lips curled into a rare, satisfied smile. “If you want toe, thene.”


    Elliana beamed, satisfaction flickering in her gaze. With Myles already ruled out as Jody, she turned her attention to the Evans Group’s head of cybersecurity. Her n was in motion.


    Just then, her phone vibrated with a new message from Matthew.


    “Lexi, we’ve got a lead on Victor.”


    Elliana swiftly responded, “Go ahead.”


    Matthew informed her, “Our guys spotted Victor in a small town in Podgend. He’s opened a restaurant.”


    A slight twitch crossed Elliana’s lips as she read the text. What was…


    Victor’s obsession with running a restaurant, anyway? She asked, “Anything off about the restaurant or the businesses nearby?”


    Matthew answered, “Nothing so far. We’ve gone through all the shops around here—nothing’s out of the ordinary.”


    Elliana instructed, “Don’t make any moves yet. Just keep an eye on him. No one tips him off.”


    Matthew fired off his reply. “Got it. While we were watching Victor, we noticed at least three other groups tailing him, too. No clue who they are yet.”


    Elliana stole a nce at Cole, her mind spinning with questions. Was it possible one of the mysterious groups shadowing Victor had ties to Cole? If she wanted answers, she’d have to dig through Cole’s private files—whatever secrets he was hiding, they were tangled up with Victor, and she had no intention of letting the trail go cold.


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    Trust between them had nevere easily. Even now, with their rtionship on the surface, total honesty remained out of reach. Cole would nevery all his cards on the table for her, and she had secrets of her own she’d never be able to confess. They were both creatures of shadow and half-truths, and some of the secrets they carried would stay locked away forever, even though they were husband and wife.


    Pushing those thoughts aside, Elliana dropped her gaze to her phone and typed a brisk message to Matthew. “Keep watching. Blend in. Don’t let anyone notice you’re there.”


    A momentter, Matthew’s reply pinged back. “Copy that.”


    She set her phone aside and nced up. Cole had already cleared his te, his expression unreadable.


    The two of them climbed the stairs together, went through the familiar motions of getting ready for bed, and finally curled up in each other’s arms, drifting off to sleep beneath the quiet hum of the air conditioner. The next morning found them at the breakfast table, sharing a meal before heading out to the Evans Group.


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