Arden’s POV:
“You’re making a mistake.”
I didn’t bother looking up from the document in my hand.
Mr Moriarty’s voice had become an unfortunate part of my workdays.
A constant irritation.
Like a mosquito that refused to die.
“If that’s all, then you’re free to leave.”
His jaw tightened.
“You’re rejecting me again?”
“Yes.”
His face reddened.
I almost admired his persistence.
Almost.
“You arrogant woman.”
I signed the last page and calmly placed it aside.
“You keep saying no like you’re above everyone else.”
I finally looked up.
Our eyes met.
“I’m not above everyone else, Mr Moriarty.”
I stood from my chair.
“I simply don’t need you.”
The room went silent.
His expression twisted.
“You think you’re special because you’re rich?”
“No.”
“You think you’re powerful because you’re a woman?”
I slowly picked up my jacket.
Still calm.
Still composed.
His anger only seemed to grow.
“Women like you are exactly what’s wrong with this city.”
I walked past him.
Unaffected.
Or at least I appeared unaffected.
“I hope you have a wonderful day, Mr Moriarty.”
His face darkened.
“I can’t wait to see you fail.”
I smiled.
A cold smile.
“Then you’ll be waiting a very long time.”
And with that, I left.
Amber quickly caught up with me.
“Ma’am.”
I glanced sideways.
“What is it?”
“There is something you should know.”
Her expression looked serious.
Immediately, my attention sharpened.
“Go on.”
“It concerns Muse.”
I stopped walking.
Amber rarely brought up Muse unless it was important.
“What about her?”
Amber hesitated.
“Someone has been asking questions about her.”
My chest tightened.
“Who?”
“We’re still investigating.”
I nodded once.
“Continue.”
Amber opened her tablet.
“Our preliminary findings suggest that a local criminal organization has placed a bounty on her.”
I froze.
“A bounty?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“How much?”
“Five thousand dollars.”
My eyes narrowed.
That wasn’t enough money for a professional hit.
Which meant they wanted information.
Or capture.
Not murder.
Interesting.
“Who’s responsible?”
“A man named Angelo.”
The name sounded vaguely familiar.
Probably one of the countless criminals operating in the city.
“What does he want with Muse?”
“We don’t know.”
I remained silent.
The pieces refused to fit together.
Muse wasn’t wealthy.
She wasn’t famous.
She wasn’t politically connected.
So why was a criminal organization looking for her?
It didn’t make sense.
Nothing about her made sense.
Yet somehow, I found myself wanting to know everything.
“Look into it.”
Amber nodded immediately.
“Everything?”
“Everything.”
I folded my arms.
“I want to know who Angelo is.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I want to know why he’s looking for her.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And Amber.”
She paused.
“Be careful.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
Then she nodded.
“Of course, ma’am.”
When I entered my office, I immediately noticed the silence.
Muse was asleep.
Again.
I smiled despite myself.
She had somehow managed to curl up on the couch.
Her book rested on her chest.
Her hair was spread across the cushion.
And for once—
She looked peaceful.
No fear.
No sadness.
No worry.
Just peace.
I found myself staring.
Far longer than necessary.
Far longer than appropriate.
She really was beautiful.
The realization hit me so suddenly that I almost laughed.
Beautiful.
The word felt dangerous.
Because I knew what came after that thought.
Attraction.
I was attracted to her.
The realization settled heavily in my chest.
I quickly looked away.
No. Absolutely not.
Muse was too young.
Too vulnerable.
Too dependent on me.
And regardless of what I felt—
I would never take advantage of that.
Never.
I sighed heavily and returned to my desk.
Work.
I needed work.
Work was safe.
About an hour later, I heard movement.
I looked up.
Muse was awake.
Her eyes slowly blinked open.
Then she smiled.
And somehow the entire room seemed brighter.
“Good afternoon.”
“Afternoon, darling.”
She stretched.
A small yawn escaping her lips.
“A while.”
She groaned.
I chuckled softly.
“You really do sleep everywhere.”
“I learned from the best.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“And who’s that?”
“You.”
I rolled my eyes.
Muse laughed.
Then suddenly her gaze stopped on my face.
She stared.
Again.
I was beginning to notice a pattern.
“What?”
She smiled.
“You’re beautiful.”
I nearly dropped my pen.
How did she keep saying things like that so casually?
As though she wasn’t completely dismantling me.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah”.
“Well, thank you “.
I said to her
She grinned.
The little menace looked pleased with herself.
Soon after, we headed to lunch.
Most of it was spent with Muse trying to negotiate smaller portions.
A battle she lost spectacularly.
By the time lunch ended, she looked personally offended by the amount of food I had made her eat.
I considered that a victory.
The rest of the afternoon passed quietly.
Muse read.
Napped.
Read some more.
And occasionally distracted me by simply existing.
Meanwhile, I worked through meeting after meeting until finally—
I checked the time.
4:57 PM.
Done.
I closed the final file.
Muse immediately looked up.
“Finished?”
“Finished.”
Her eyes brightened.
Cute.
Far too cute.
“I have somewhere I want to take you.”
She blinked.
“Where?”
I stood and grabbed my jacket.
“It’s a secret.”
Her mouth fell open.
“Arden.”
I smiled.
“No.”
“Tell me.”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No.”
Muse groaned dramatically.
I laughed.
A real laugh.
The kind that rarely escaped me.
Then I grabbed her wheelchair.
“Come on, darling.”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“You’re definitely plotting something.”
“Perhaps.”
“Should I be worried?”
I smiled as I pushed her toward the elevator.
“Not even a little.”
And judging by her excitement—
The surprise was already worth it.