The three-year marriage was a debt he couldn't escape, a resentment he deserved. If she wanted to hate him, so be it. As long as her memory wasn't fully back, he still had a shot at redemption. He'd bend over backward to make it up to her.

The Reynolds Residence.

The night was a hazy, moonlit affair, everything hushed and still.

Only Archer Reynolds's room blazed with light, a low growl of frustration and anger emanating from within.

"You're delusional! There's no way in hell I'm letting you marry him…"

"You pushed me to this, didn't you? I gave up everything to come back to you. Don't even think about ditching me…"

Thud! A heavy object hit the floor, followed by a long, suffocating silence. It wasn't until the night bled into dawn, the sky lightening at the edges, that the all-night vigil of the lamp was finally extinguished.

"Did you hear? Miss Isabella Lopez swung by Mr. Reynolds's place yesterday and left bawling."

"No way! When? How'd I miss that?"

"Shhh… keep it down! It was after work yesterday. I was burning the midnight oil…"

Their voices trailed off into murmurs as Celine Evans emerged from the bathroom stall, sure they'd moved on.

Isabella and Archer? What was their deal? Wasn't she Dante Williams's girlfriend?

Could it be that Dante's "be careful of Archer" warning was for this reason...?

Celine cupped her hands, splashing cold water on her face. The deeper she dug, the more convinced she was that these people were a whole damn mood board of secrets.

She needed to investigate.

A name popped into her head. A college buddy, now deep in the government's intelligence game. She'd done him a solid once.

A quick favor, looking into a few folks? Totally doable.

She fired off an email, pitching her favor. Archer had also been overseas, right? He'd probably know something.

A rapid reply confirmed he was on it, though he warned detailed intel might take about a week.

Celine was fine with waiting.

No sooner had she hit send than Archer himself materialized behind her, a smile playing on his lips as he watched her.

"Mr. Reynolds! How long have you been standing there?" Celine jumped, a prickle of panic. Had he caught her snooping?

"Just got here. You busy?" Archer's tone remained smooth as silk.

"Nope, not at all. Is there something you need?"

The initial shock hadn't faded, and a creeping sense of unease began to unfurl.

"I was wondering if you could help me track the progress of a construction project. It's a government gig, way up in the mountains. I hate to ask, but I can't trust anyone else with it."

Archer’s apology seemed genuine. Honestly, he dreaded sending her on such a grueling assignment.

But the last few reports were a hot mess – nobody could pinpoint the issues or push things forward.

He needed someone he could trust, someone competent.

Celine let out a silent sigh of relief. Just work.

She nodded, her voice steady. "The Pine Ridge project, right? I can handle it, Mr. Reynolds."

Archer sighed. She was sharp and got it, but she was still a woman.

"How about this: I'll have someone go with you. Be safe."

"Sounds good."

Celine readily agreed. The project was a beast with a long timeline, but the constant delays screamed underlying problems. A site visit was the only way to get to the bottom of it.

And honestly, she was stoked. The bigger the challenge, the more she'd learn, the sharper her skills would get.

"It's all set. Our partner company is sending someone to join you. They'll pick you up at the office first thing tomorrow."

Archer seemed pleased. He clapped her on the shoulder and turned to go.

What Celine didn't see coming was that the "partner company" representative would be Dante Williams.

As she slid into the car, Celine still looked baffled.

"Do your engineering projects now require the CEO to personally babysit them?"

Dante offered a smile but kept mum about the fact that this project was a dumpster fire and he absolutely had to see it for himself.

The mountain road was a marathon. Celine, fighting off a wave of car sickness, drifted off. When she blinked awake, darkness had fallen.

The car was pulled over, Dante leaning against the driver's side door outside her window, a cigarette glowing like a defiant ember in the Stygian blackness.

Celine climbed out, checking her watch. Past eight in the evening, and her phone was completely dead.

"Dante, any signal on your phone?"

He stubbed out his cigarette and shook his head. "Nope. Zero bars in this whole area. Didn't Archer mention it when he sent you?"

"Mention what? Mr. Reynolds just said the mountains were a bit sketchy and to be careful."

Celine had chalked it up to standard corporate boilerplate, but now it felt like a red flag.

"It's a government facility up there, they've got signal jammers everywhere. Once you're in, you're off the grid. And also…" Dante trailed off, a heavy pause hanging in the air.

"And also what?"

And also, someone's likely in cahoots with shady underworld types, smuggling weapons, even skimming project funds. That's why the money's late, the materials are junk, and the workers aren't getting paid…

But there was no point spilling all that. Better he dealt with it himself than drag her into his worries.

"Huh? Then how am I supposed to check in with Mr. Reynolds?"