Chapter 123

"Impossible," Sylvia said automatically. Liliana's home was Cedric's home. Why on earth would Douglas Sewell be cooking dinner there?

"I heard them with my own ears!" Nina insisted.

The line went quiet for a few seconds before Sylvia made an excuse and hung up. She immediately dialed another number.

"I want you to watch Liliana's every move. Find out where she goes and who she meets."

At five o'clock that evening, Liliana clocked out right on time. She had arranged to meet Douglas on the next street over to avoid any gossip at the office. As she walked out of the Cyan building, she pulled her phone from her bag and called Erma.

"Erma, I won't be home for dinner tonight.'

"Will the master be home?" Erma asked.

The streets were crowded with rush-hour commuters. Liliana sidestepped a pedestrian and lowered her voice. "I'm not sure. You can call and ask him. While you're at it, could you tell him I'm... working late tonight?"

"Of course," Erma agreed readily.

Liliana put her phone away and quickened her pace. When she reached the next street, she immediately spotted Douglas's SUV. He saw her and unlocked the passenger door from inside. Liliana, who had been about to get in the back, paused for a beat before walking around the front of the car and climbing in.

"Have you been waiting long?" The five-minute walk from the office had been brisk. The early winter evening was sharp and cold, and her nose was red.

Douglas turned up the heat. "Just got here. Junie's already bought the groceries, so we can head straight over."

"She bought them?" Liliana paused, her hand on her seatbelt. "But I was supposed to be treating you guys. Now it feels like she's treating me again."

"Don't worry about it. We're just happy to get together. It doesn't matter who pays."

As the car pulled away from the curb, Douglas locked the doors. He glanced in the rearview mirror and caught sight of someone with a camera snapping a few pictures of the back of his car. He instinctively tapped the brakes.

Liliana lurched forward, nearly hitting her head on the dashboard.

"What's wrong?" she asked, following his gaze. The street was a chaotic mix of cars and people; she didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Douglas scanned the area again, but the person was gone. He turned back, easing his foot off the brake and onto the accelerator. "Sorry. I thought I saw someone I knew."

"Oh. Do you want to go say hello?"

"No, I must have been mistaken." He didn't want to worry her over something he wasn't sure about.

The drive from Cyan to Polaris Court took twenty minutes. Cars that weren't registered to residents had to be logged at the gate.

"Douglas, I'll go register while you drive in," Liliana said, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"No need," he said. He drove up to the gate and honked twice. The security guard emerged from his booth, saw who it was, and

immediately raised the bl

waving him through with a

deferential bow.

Douglas drove straight into the complex.

"I don't get these rich folks," the guard muttered to himself, clutching a handful of nuts. "Buying a whole apartment just for a parking spot, and he doesn't even want to register his license plate..." If the plate were registered the gate would open automatically. The guard didn't know much about cars, but he knew that anyone who would buy an

apartment just for convenient access had to be loaded. As for the person who had paid him a hefty sum to keep any unregistered strangers out... well, the man owned property here now. He wasn't a

stranger anymore.

Douglas parked in front of the building entrance. "How did you get in without registering?" Liliana asked curiously as she got out of the car.

"A carton of cigarettes goes a long way with the guard," Douglas said with a warm

smile. "Come on, Junie's already here."

Liliana couldn't help but smile back as they entered the building together.

Not far away, a drone lifted off from outside the complex, its camera capturing the entire scene.