"Mr. Fawkes," Gregory hesitated, "the security guard on duty said Miss Yates has been there for over two hours already. They tried to persuade her to leave, but she insisted on finishing her work."


    Gregory himself was a little stunned. He''d always thought Mr. Fawkes was the ultimate workaholic, but Miss Yates was on another level. It made him feel like a cker.


    "Alright, I understand," Soren said with a sigh.


    After a moment''s thought, he called Poppy. She answered almost immediately.


    Soren chose his words carefully. "I hear you''re at the office."


    Poppy let out a weary sigh. "I was hoping you wouldn''t find out. Please, don''t worry about me. I''ll head home as soon as I''m done."


    Soren felt a pang of somethingplicated.


    Hearing his silence, Poppy chuckled softly. "Don''t feel pressured. I''m just trying to do my job right. This has nothing to do with you. I''m not trying to make a point."


    Soren knew she was telling the truth. Poppy had always been incredibly dedicated to her work. But that was exactly why he was worried. It waste, she was alone, and her health had never been robust. What if something happened?


    "I should get back to it," she said brightly. "You get some rest. Take care of yourself."


    Before Soren could reply, she hung up.


    Poppy leaned back in the office chair, a faint smile ying on her lips as she looked at her phone. A few secondster, a message from Liam popped up.


    *Poppy, Soren''s on his way to you.*


    Her smile widened. She didn''t reply immediately, and another message from Liam quickly followed.


    *Thank you so much, Poppy. You''re a lifesaver tonight.*


    *Anytime, she typed back.


    Outside the vi, Liam sat hidden in his car, watching as Soren''s car pulled away and headed in the direction of Fawkes Enterprises. He let out a breath he hadn''t realized he''d been holding.


    His instincts had been right. He''d driven over to the vi just in case, and sure enough, he''d seen Soren preparing to leave. There was only one person he would be going to see at this hour: Evangeline. It confirmed his suspicion that she was trying to lure Soren back in.


    Luckily, he had seen right through her little game. Liam couldn''t help but feel a flicker of pride at his own cleverness.


    ...


    Back at the hotel, Evangeline wasn''t sure when she''d drifted off, but when she woke again, she was lying in bed. The sky was still dark, but the first hints of dawn were beginning to streak the horizon. She sat up and padded out of the bedroom. Finn was gone.


    On the living room table sat a bowl of hangover soup, still warm. Tucked beneath it was a note.


    *On the rooftop.*


    The handwriting was elegant and sharp.


    Evangeline followed the note''s instruction, taking the stairs up to the roof and pushing open the heavy fire door. A cool morning breeze swept across the rooftop. But when she saw the scene before her, her heart leaped into her throat, and a cold sweat broke out across her skin.


    There, perched on the absolute edge of the building, was Finn. He was wearing only a thin shirt, the fabric fluttering in the wind. His silhouette looked fragile against the vast, open sky as he sat with his back to her, his posture unnervingly rxed.


    They were thirty-two stories up. One wrong move, one shift in bnce, and he would be gone.


    If it had been anyone else, she wouldn''t have thought much of it. But this was Finn. And she couldn''t stop the image of the pale, thin scar on his wrist from shing in her mind.