Chapter 100: I Have A Plan

Astrid’s POV

I reached the office she’d told me about ... room 705 ... and found the media manager sitting behind his desk like he owned the world.

"Hello, Mrs. Astrid. What brings you here today?" he asked.

"I want to check some footage and observe a few details," I said, keeping my tone as casual as I could manage.

"You can tell me what you’re looking for, ma’am. I can pull up any date for you," he offered.

"You don’t need to go through all that stress for me. I can access it myself ... I already know the date I’m looking for." I kept pushing, angling for direct access to the system.

"It’s my job, ma’am. I manage this place. I need to know what you’re looking for, so just state it," he said, firm and unbothered.

But I couldn’t say it. If I gave him that date and time, he’d see exactly what I didn’t want him seeing ... unless he was already lying, already pretending not to know. Which, honestly, was what I suspected.

There was no way he hadn’t seen it.

"You know what, I think I can sort this out some other time," I said, then turned and walked out before he could press me further.

I planned to come back later in the day and handle it properly.

I couldn’t focus at work. My thoughts were scattered, my hands restless, my mind somewhere else entirely. I was a mess and it showed.

Even my boss Liam noticed.

"Go take a break," he told me. "Ten to thirty minutes. You’re not fine. Come back after."

"No, sir, I’m fine," I tried to convince him, but he wasn’t buying it.

I stepped out.

I used the full thirty minutes sitting in the restaurant across from our building, staring at nothing, turning everything over in my head. Maybe I should just tell Ethan ... tell him his ex-wife had been coming for me, threatening to expose me. Maybe I should just put it all on the table.

But even that would cause an uproar.

I was so damn confused. I cried a little, right there in that restaurant, tucked into a corner booth where nobody could see. Then I wiped my face, told myself to get it together, and went back inside.

Check the media room first, I told myself. One thing at a time.

I returned to the office and resumed work.

"I expect a fresh attitude and a fresh approach," Liam said when I walked past. "If something’s bothering you, don’t keep it to yourself."

I put on the most normal face I could manage and tried to look like someone who actually came to work to work.

When the day ended and everyone filed out in a rush to get home, I lingered. I stepped outside, pretended to leave, then hung around the building.

Security didn’t lock the place until a full hour after closing. Within twenty minutes, the floor had emptied ... everyone sprinting to their cars, their buses, their lives. I understood the feeling. I wanted to go home too. But this couldn’t wait.

I walked back to the media room. Locked, just as I expected.

I wasn’t a novice.

I pulled the safety pin from my bag, worked the lock, and stepped inside.

The main computer stared back at me. Password-protected, of course. I sat down and stared at the login screen, frustration bubbling in my chest. I didn’t know the password. I needed to get in fast.

Then I remembered ... fragments from the Academy, lessons I’d half-ignored because I never thought I’d need them. I clicked Forgotten Password and worked through it, step by step, until the screen opened up for me.

I went straight to the 14th. That was the day.

I remembered the time, scrolled to it, and found exactly what I was looking for.

My stomach dropped.

It was a live webcam recording ... sex, in broad daylight, right there in the building. I felt sick looking at it. How many people had already seen this? How many people had watched it and said absolutely nothing? Because I refused to believe everyone had kept quiet for no reason.

It was the media head who had sent this video to Thalia. That much was clear now.

I transferred the footage to my phone, then deleted it from the server. It was so awkward watching myself ... watching Raven going down on me like it was nothing, captured on camera for God knows how long.

I was halfway through composing myself when I heard footsteps. Coming closer. Heading straight for the media room.

I moved fast, sliding behind one of the large computers at the back of the room and pressing myself flat against the wall.

The door opened.

It was the media head. He must have forgotten something and come back to retrieve it. I held my breath and stayed completely still. I’d been smart enough to lock the door behind me when I entered ... nothing looked disturbed, nothing out of place.

He moved around, did what he came to do, and left.

I waited until his footsteps faded completely before I exhaled.

Safe. For now.

Thalia wanted to destroy my life. She wasn’t going to.

I got home late. Ethan was waiting.

"Why are you just getting back at this time?" he asked the moment I walked through the door.

"Sorry, I forgot to message you ... I stopped to pick up groceries," I said, holding up the bag in my hand.

I moved straight to the kitchen. I hadn’t eaten properly all day. Anxiety had killed every trace of hunger, but my body was starting to remind me that it still existed.

Then I saw what Ethan had done.

He’d already cooked.

"Thank you, my love." I wrapped my arms around him from behind and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, then settled onto his lap while he watched TV.

"I wanted you to see it for yourself," he said with a smile.

I tasted the baked potato. It was genuinely good. Warm and perfectly seasoned, exactly what I needed.

"I want to tell you something, Ethan."

He was still watching the TV, half-distracted. "Say it, Astrid. I’m listening."

"Your ex-wife Thalia came to meet me."

The remote came down. The volume dropped. His full attention shifted to me in an instant.

"What did you just say? When did you see her?" His voice was tight.

"I didn’t go looking for her ... she found me. I don’t know how, maybe she knew which route I take to work. She pulled up in her car and stopped me," I said.

"Thalia." He exhaled sharply, pressing his hand to his forehead. "What did she say?"

"She was threatening me. Telling me I’d pay for marrying you, for taking you from her."

Ethan laughed ... short and humorless. "When did this happen?"

"Twice now. In less than a week."

He shot up. "It’s been happening for days and you said nothing? Astrid, you’re in danger ... you could be in danger right now."

"I’m sorry. I didn’t take the first time seriously. It was the second time that made me realize how far she was willing to go," I said quickly.

"I’m filing for a restraining order. She’s lost her mind."

I grabbed his arm before he could reach for his phone.

"No. Ethan, no ... I only told you so you’d know. I don’t want the police involved," I said.

"Why not? She’s a threat to both of us."

Because getting the police involved would open doors I needed to keep shut. I’d told him because he was my husband and he deserved to know, not because I wanted it escalated.

"Please," I said softly. "Just trust me on this."

He looked at me for a long moment, then let it go. "If you say so."

He went to the bedroom to change, and the moment he disappeared, I went for his phone.

Thalia’s number was still in there. He never called it, but he’d never deleted it either.

I copied it, slipped outside the room, and dialed.

She picked up on the third ring.

"We need to meet," I said. I named the location.

A pause. Then ... "I’ll be on my way."

I ended the call and stared at the wall for a moment.

I had a plan. Now I just had to execute it.