Anya's fingers trembled. Her phone, a forbidden fruit, lay hidden beneath a stack of old reports on her desk. Julian, seated across from her, was engrossed in his own monitors, his profile sharp against the office light. This was her chance. It had to be. Every second felt amplified. Her breath hitched. She needed to know about Lily. The doctor's last update had been vague, unsettling. Anya slid her hand, inch by agonizing inch, toward the reports. "Problem, Anya?" Julian's voice, low and unexpected, cut through the silence. Her hand froze. Heart hammering against her ribs, she looked up, forcing a neutral expression. "No, Mr. Thorne. Just... organizing some old files." His eyes, the color of a winter sky, flickered to the stack of papers, then back to her. A faint frown creased his brow. He said nothing more, returning his gaze to his screen. Sweat beaded on her upper lip. That was too close. She pulled her hand back, feigning a stretch. Julian's presence was a suffocating blanket, every movement scrutinized, every glance a potential interrogation. Hours crawled by. The sterile hum of the air conditioning was the only constant. Julian worked relentlessly, his fingers flying across the keyboard, his focus absolute. He barely stirred, save for the occasional sip of water. Anya felt like a bug under a microscope. Despair gnawed at her. Lily's life depended on her. She couldn't let Julian's control paralyze her. A new plan formed, born of desperation. Waiting until Julian was deep into a complex spreadsheet, she subtly shifted her chair, angling her body slightly away from him. Her personal phone, a cheap burner she'd bought, was tucked into her inner jacket pocket. With a practiced movement, feigning a stretch and a yawn, she slipped the phone out, cradling it in her palm, hidden by her desk. Her fingers flew, navigating to her contacts, the hospital's direct line. One ring. Two rings. Her heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs. "Dr. Aris's office, this is Nurse Jenkins speaking." "Nurse Jenkins, it's Anya Sharma. I need an update on Lily. Is Dr. Aris available?" Anya kept her voice low, barely a whisper. She pressed the phone tighter to her ear, leaning forward. "Ms. Sharma, I just spoke with Dr. Aris. Lily's condition is stable, but there was a slight... fluctuation in her vitals overnight. We're monitoring closely." Fluctuation. The word hit her like a physical blow. It meant 'worse'. It meant 'danger'. Fear, cold and sharp, pierced through her. "What kind of fluctuation? Is she in pain? Has the new medication helped?" Anya's voice was hoarse with suppressed panic. Suddenly, a shift in the air. A sound. Julian cleared his throat, a sharp, distinct noise that ripped through her concentration. Anya's eyes darted up. Julian was no longer looking at his screen. His head was turned, his gaze fixed directly on her. His jaw was tight. Her breath caught. She instinctively jammed the phone back into her pocket, the connection severed. Her face felt hot. She scrambled for a cover. "Everything alright, Ms. Sharma?" His voice was flat, devoid of warmth. Think, Anya, think! "Yes, Mr. Thorne. Absolutely. My... my landlady just texted me. Urgent plumbing issue at my apartment. My kitchen sink is apparently overflowing." The lie tumbled out, clumsy and hurried. A muscle in Julian's jaw twitched. His eyes narrowed, studying her. He didn't speak immediately. The silence stretched, taut and suffocating. "Plumbing issue," he repeated, his tone skeptical. "Quite an urgent text, judging by your rapid movements." Her stomach lurched. He knew. He suspected something. Keep calm. "Yes. It's... a very old building. These things happen suddenly. I just need to call the plumber back, assure her I'll handle it. She's elderly, gets flustered." He held her gaze for another beat, then slowly, deliberately, turned back to his monitor. "See to it, then. But ensure all your focus remains on the merger protocol during working hours." Anya let out a silent, shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She nodded, her throat suddenly dry. "Understood, Mr. Thorne." Her heart still hammered. That was terrifyingly close. She needed to be more careful. Much, much more careful. The knowledge of Lily's 'fluctuation' sat heavy in her gut, a knot of icy dread. She couldn't afford another slip. The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of spreadsheets and reports. Anya forced herself to focus, her mind racing even as her fingers typed data. She couldn't think about Lily now. She couldn't. Later, as the evening shadows lengthened and the office began to empty, Julian rose from his desk. He walked to the window, gazing out at the city lights. He seemed to be on a call, his voice low and indistinct. Anya pretended to be engrossed in a document, her ears straining. He rarely took calls in the open. His private office was usually soundproofed. But today, the door was slightly ajar. "No, I understand the sensitivities," Julian murmured into his phone, his back still to her. "But the discrepancies are too glaring to ignore." Discrepancies? Anya paused, her pen hovering over a page. What was he talking about? "A significant amount. Over two million, give or take. Untraceable cash movements within the last six months of their operation." Two million? Cash movements? A cold sensation prickled Anya's skin. He wasn't talking about just any company. He was talking about her old company, Thorne Acquisitions. The merger. She pressed her lips together, her breathing shallow. She kept her head down, feigning continued work, but every nerve ending was alert. "Yes, prior to our official takeover. The timing is... problematic." Julian's voice remained calm, almost dispassionate. "I want a full investigation. Every single transaction, every vendor payment, every expense report." Anya's fingers clenched around her pen. Her old company. Untraceable cash. Her mind reeled, trying to make sense of it. She'd been a diligent employee, but she wasn't privy to high-level financial decisions. Still, she’d never seen anything like this. "I need to understand who was authorizing these payments," Julian continued. "Who had access to those specific accounts." Anya swallowed hard. This was bad. Very bad. The company she had dedicated years to. The company she had believed in. "Specifically, I'm looking at the period where the financials went from stable to... artificially inflated, just before the acquisition talks began in earnest." Artificially inflated. The words hung in the air, heavy with implication. It sounded like manipulation. Fraud. Was that even possible? "No, I don't care how deep you have to dig," Julian stated, his voice now sharper, a subtle edge of steel. "I want a complete and undeniable picture." Anya felt a chill creep up her spine. This wasn't just about financial irregularities anymore. This was about something far more serious. Something that could have devastating consequences for everyone involved. "Get me the full audit team. I want them on standby," Julian instructed, his voice now completely devoid of emotion. "And I want them to begin immediate forensic accounting procedures." Forensic accounting. The words hit Anya like a physical blow. A shiver of dread snaked down her spine.

Chapter 5: A Dangerous Slip