When Her "Death" Couldn't Break Him (Cecilia and Nathaniel)

Nathaniel did not rush her away. He stayed until every loose thread at Jamieson Group was knotted tight, and only then boarded the plane at her side.

At Tudela Airport, Charlotte had been pacing the arrivals hall long before the flight landed.

"Cecilia!" she called, waving both arms the instant she spotted them.

Cecilia slipped her hand free of Nathaniel's, dashed across the polished floor, and wrapped Charlotte in an embrace fierce enough to chase off the lingering chill of cemeteries and boardrooms alike.

Nathaniel's hands were suddenly empty. He watched Cecilia and Charlotte lean into each other, laughter and whispered confidences circling them like warm light. Jealousy pricked the back of his throat-sharp, metallic, impossible to swallow.

Cecilia angled toward Charlotte, her voice gentling. "How've you been holding the company together on your own lately?"

Charlotte lifted her chin in a quick, brave nod. "Pretty good, actually-nothing I couldn't manage."

Cecilia's smile eased some hidden tension. "That's a relief."

Hooking her arm through Cecilia's, Charlotte sighed. "While you were away, every single day stretched forever."

Time had crawled not only because Cecilia was gone, but because Sven's absence pressed on her like a weight she could not name.

Once they were inside the car, Cecilia caught the shadow in Charlotte's eyes. "Sven's still texting you, right?"

Charlotte's shoulders dipped. She clenched her fists before speaking.

past few days-nothing. I've sent messages, I've called-no answer

sound like him," Cecilia murmured, worry

A small knot of

tightened in Cecilia's chest.

him, do you?" Charlotte's voice trembled

confidence she did not feel. "Sven's too capable

palms were damp. "Maybe that's the problem-someone with skills like his makes too many enemies."

I'll have someone look into

whispered, as though the word might break if

every contact she trusted to trace

screens refreshed, calls returned yet no

She'd never doubted him, never pried into his past. The sudden blankness of his file felt

had been ordinary, records should exist. The silence suggested a life

search field when her phone rang. Calvin's name glowed

left for overseas work, months had drifted

answered at once.

about Mdm. Queenie's passing," Calvin said, his tone familiar and steady. "Are you

a headline, days after it happened—distance doing

closed Cecilia's throat, yet she kept her reply even.

grieve," Calvin urged gently. "Don't shoulder everything at

been ages