My Boss's Hidden Heir (Elara and Marcus) novel Chapter 213

Chapter 213

Chapter 213

Elara’s POV

Marcus didn’t return back home that night.

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He called at midnight to say he was still at the office, voice tight in the way it got when he was working through something that wouldn’t sit still, and Elara had stayed awake until one before finally letting sleep take her.

By morning she’d made a decision.

She dropped the twins with Maria, stopped at the place on Fifth that Marcus pretended not to love but always finished entirely, and walked into Thorne Dynamics at eleven with four containers of food and the specific intention of making her husband eat something.

The boardro

cups were

rolled

whe

ooked like the aftermath of a long night. Someone had ordered coffee at some point and the

most of them half finished and cold. Jackets were on chair backs. Dante had his sleeves

t he’d been there since the previous evening. Patricia had that expression people got

ring at numbers for too long and the numbers had stopped making sense.

when she walked in and something in his face shifted, not relief exactly but something

ave to-”

Elara said, setting the containers on the end of the table. “Then talk.”

y argued. The room moved toward the food with the quiet efficiency of people who’d forgotten they hungry until reminded.

ra sat beside Marcus and kept her voice low. “How bad?”

Bad enough.” He pulled the lid off his container, looked at what was inside, actually looked, which meant he was grateful even if he wasn’t going to say it in a room full of people. “We’ve been going through every internal communication from the last few months. Every deal KW Dynamics has taken from us, they moved within days of us finalizing our own approach internally. Not publicly. Internally.”

“So they’re getting information before it leaves this building.”

“Yes.”

“Who has access

“That’s the q and looked

welve p

one in this room since yesterday.” Marcus put his fork down aybe twelve people who touch the early stages of a deal negotiation. we were building before we announced it. One of them has been know who.”

Patricia talking quietly with two junior analysts. Dante back at his screens. she’d seen at various dinners over the months.

Chapter 212

Chapter 212

Elara’s POV

Life has been genuinely good, after all the chaos we passed through, we are finally allowed to breathe.

Elara stood at the bathroom mirror finishing her earrings when Marcus appeared in the doorway, still in his dress shirt with his jacket thrown over one arm, and stopped walking.

“What?” she said without turning around.

“Nothing.” He leaned against the frame. “You look incredible in that dress.”

“Don’t start, husband.”

“I’m just saying.” He crossed to where she stood and slid both arms around her from behind, his chin dropping to her shoulder. “A new baby wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”

Elara met his eyes in the mirror. “Marcus Thorne if you don’t let go of me right now and go somewhere far away from me.”

He laughed, the sound warm against her neck. “I’m just saying we’re good at it.”

“We were good at it and now we have two of them destroying the living room with Maria while we stand here having this conversation.” She turned in his arms. “Avoid me. Actively. Go stand on the other side of the house.”

“You’re so beautiful when you’re threatening me.”

“Go.”

He kissed her once, slowly and certain, the kind of kiss that still caught her off guard after these months together. Then he pulled back with that look on his face that meant he was very pleased with himself and went to find his cufflinks.

Elara turned back to the mirror and tried very hard not to smile.

Downstairs the twins were in full chaos by the time Elara came out of the bedroom. Alexander had somehow gotten Maria’s reading glasses on his face and was walking into furniture with great confidence while Catherine sat in the middle of the floor surrounded by blocks she’d arranged into what could only be described as architecture.

“Glasses,” Elara said.

Maria retrieved them from Alexander without breaking stride. “They’ve eaten, they’ve had their bath, and they will be asleep by seven thirty. You two go and have a nice day.”

“We’re only going to the office, not a date,” Elara said.

“Nevertheless.” Maria handed Catherine a block she’d been reaching for. “Go.”

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11:42 Sat, Jul 11

Chapter 213

Chapter 213

Elara’s POV

Marcus didn’t return back home that night.

He called at midnight to say he was still at the office, voice tight in the way it got when he was working. through something that wouldn’t sit still, and Elara had stayed awake until one before finally letting sleep take her.

By morning she’d made a decision.

She dropped the twins with Maria, stopped at the place on Fifth that Marcus pretended not to love but always finished entirely, and walked into Thorne Dynamics at eleven with four containers of food and the specific intention of making her husband eat something.

The boardroom looked like the aftermath of a long night. Someone had ordered coffee at some point and the cups were still there, most of them half finished and cold. Jackets were on chair backs. Dante had his sleeves rolled up which meant he’d been there since the previous evening. Patricia had that expression people got when they’d been staring at numbers for too long and the numbers had stopped making sense.

Marcus looked up when she walked in and something in his face shifted, not relief exactly but something adjacent to it.

“You didn’t have to-”

“Eat first,” Elara said, setting the containers on the end of the table. “Then talk.”

Nobody argued. The room moved toward the food with the quiet efficiency of people who’d forgotten they were hungry until reminded.

Elara sat beside Marcus and kept her voice low. “How bad?”

“Bad enough.” He pulled the lid off his container, looked at what was inside, actually looked, which meant he was grateful even if he wasn’t going to say it in a room full of people. “We’ve been going through every internal communication from the last few months. Every deal KW Dynamics has taken from us, they moved within days of us finalizing our own approach internally. Not publicly. Internally.”

“So they’re getting information before it leaves this building.”

“Yes.”

“Who has access to that level of detail?”

“That’s the question that’s been keeping everyone in this room since yesterday.” Marcus put his fork down and looked at her properly. “There are maybe twelve people who touch the early stages of a deal negotiation. Twelve people who would know what we were building before we announced it. One of them has been feeding information out and I don’t know who.”

Elara looked around the room. Patricia talking quietly with two junior analysts. Dante back at his screens. Three other board members she’d seen at various dinners over the months.

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11:42 Sat, Jul 11

Chapter 213

Twelve people. One of them wrong.

:.

“You can’t run a mole investigation while you’re bleeding out,” she said.

“No.”

“And if you spend the next few weeks looking inward, KW Dynamics will keeps taking clients.”

“Also yes.”

She picked up her fork. “So stop chasing them and invite them to the table.”

Marcus looked at her.

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