Damir sighed and picked up his fork.

“Give me until tomorrow,” Alexander continued. “I need to talk to a few people, and then I’ll tell you the next steps.”

“I brought copies of the contracts with me,” Damir said, nodding at the briefcase resting on the chair beside him.

“That’s for later, Mr. Damir. First, we need to arrange for the right people to handle your situation. You’ll give them everything they ask for.”

Damir nodded, exhaling with slight relief. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. He was barely home these days. His pregnant wife had become a shadow of herself, just like his mother. He didn’t want to burden them with his turmoil, and he didn’t have the strength to pretend everything was fine. So every morning, he’d leave as if he had errands, and return only in the evening.

At their next meeting, Diana told him his office had been locked, and staff were told he was on a leave of absence until further notice. But she also said no one at the company actually believed he was involved in any shady dealings.

That made him smile. At least something good. In the six months he’d worked alongside his father, he had built good relationships with many of the staff, even the field workers he’d visited frequently with clients or his father to show the operations and discuss product quality. He had really done his job with integrity. Rubbing his eyes, he let out a long sigh.

“You look absolutely exhausted,” Diana said, giving him a sympathetic look.

“I know. I barely sleep.”

“Is there anything else I can do?”

He looked at her, eyes heavy with fatigue.

“What else could you possibly do?”

“I’m willing to do anything,” she said softly.

His eyebrows arched slightly in surprise. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and murmured, “Thanks. But unless you’ve got a magic wand, I don’t think you can help.”

“What if I did?”

He looked at her again. Her persistence was becoming almost puzzling. But he didn’t have the mental bandwidth to analyze it.

“I’d ask to go back one year.”

“What happened a year ago?”

He turned to look at her. Her insistence was starting to wear on him. But as he studied her face, it dawned on him—she was actually very beautiful. How had he never noticed before?

“Do you have a husband?” he asked suddenly, not even sure why.

“No. And no boyfriend either,” she replied, her gaze steady and direct.

He held her eyes, then glanced at her lips before returning to her eyes. But as if shaking himself free of something, he straightened and said, “I think I’ll go home. Try to get some sleep. Might go back out later.”

“Can we meet tonight?” Diana suddenly asked.

Her behavior caught him off guard. He had never noticed her being this forward or flirty before. After a pause, he replied, “I have a business meeting tonight.”

At eight, Alexander finally called. Damir had been counting the minutes, checking his phone and the clock over and over. He had showered, lay down to rest, and asked his family not to disturb him for a few hours. AAliya tucked him in with a blanket and quietly left the room.

When the phone rang, he jumped up and answered immediately.

“Good evening, Damir. Can you come now?”

About twenty minutes later, he was at the hotel.

“Have a seat,” Alexander said, pointing to the chair across the table. Two men were sitting with him—one, a young stylish guy with a sharp haircut and a fashionable look, the other, around fifty, with an athletic build and piercing dark eyes. They looked at Damir with interest, and he returned the look. He shook hands with both and sat down.