"How can that be possible? My dad definitely doesn't ..." Emily was pondering.
"Miss Hart!" Alexander's sharp voice cut through her thoughts, making her jump slightly.
She turned to face him, trying to compose herself quickly.
"What caught your attention so much on that portrait?" He asked, his eyes searching her face carefully.
Emily cleared her throat quietly.
"Should I ask him? But what if he finds it offensive?" She wondered inwardly.
"Miss Hart?" Alexander called out again, becoming slightly annoyed at her behavior.
"The pendant... Was it always there?" Emily found herself asking, her voice slightly shaky.
"Yes, of course. Charlotte always wore it." Alexander replied, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he wondered why she was asking him such questions.
"Do you still have it? Or know where it is?" Emily pressed further, her heart beating faster.
At that, Alexander became more confused and tightened his jaw.
"No, I don't." He said curtly.
"But, do you know whether this -" Emily started but Alexander cut her off before she could finish.
"Enough with these irrelevant questions, Miss Hart. You should be at home, recovering." He maintained, his tone firm.
Emily exhaled sharply.
"I already told you, I'm staying. Sir." She responded, adding the last part as an afterthought.
"You know, your salary won't be affected if you take time off to recover. So, what you are doing currently is unnecessary." Alexander pointed out gently.
"He thinks this is about money? How interesting!" Emily scoffed inwardly but looked at him flatly.
"I will bring your coffee soon, Mr. Grey." She informed him firmly, then walked out before he could protest further.
"No, she is definitely different. Charlotte wasn't this stubborn." Alexander couldn't help but observe what seemed to be the first similarity between the two women.
He exhaled softly then took his seat.
~~~~~~~~~
After some minutes of going around to put things in place for Alexander so he would work smoothly, Emily was back at her desk.
"I will have to look for the pendant when I get home. It is so distinct, I wouldn't have mistaken it for the one she had on. But... Why would my dad have such thing in his possession? Did he perhaps know..."
"Emily?" Jake's concerned voice pulled her from her thoughts.
She looked up to find the secretary standing by her desk, worry etched on his face.
"I heard you were sick and wouldn't be coming in today. What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Are you okay?" He added.
"I'm fine, Jake." Emily assured him with a small smile.
"Are you sure? You look a bit pale... You know you should rest at ..." He was saying with concern but Emily cut him short.
"I promise, I am okay, Jake. Seriously." She insisted.
That seemed to make Jake feel relieved a bit and he exhaled sharply.
"Let me know if you have any work. I will handle it for you." He offered kindly.
"That is really sweet but you don't..." Emily was saying but it was Jake's turn to cut her off.
"And what would you like for lunch? I can get it for you instead of you stressing yourself going to the cafeteria." He added quickly.
Emily felt flustered by his attention, wondering why he was being sweet on her but then remembered what was weighing on her mind.
"Jake..." She started hesitantly.
"Could you tell me everything you know about Charlotte? Mr. Grey's fiancée?" She requested gently.
Jake's cheerful demeanor changed instantly.
"What do you want to know?" He asked her, his voice dropping low.
"Everything. But for now... how did she die?" Emily asked carefully.
Jake heaved a heavy sigh before beginning to explain.
"She was coming to see Mr. Grey during lunch break, as she usually did. She worked at her family's company - another big corporation in the city." He paused.
"And?" Emily prompted.
"There was a terrible accident. She died on the spot." Jake finished, he was practically whispering.
Emily leaned forward slightly, her eyes filled with curiosity and something else that Jake couldn't figure out.
"Was there... anything else to the death?" She asked.
"What do you mean by that?" Jake asked, his eyebrows slightly furrowing in confusion.
As if that jolted Emily out of whatever she was in, she swallowed hard and leaned back into her chair.
"Never mind, I'm probably just out of my mind." She said quickly, more to herself.
Jake peered at her intently, as if trying to read her thoughts.
"What about Mr. Grey?" Emily quickly changed her direction.
"Does he have enemies in the corporate world? Or has he been involved in anything... questionable? Anything that might make people target him?" She asked.
Before Jake could respond, his phone buzzed. He checked it quickly.
"Sorry, I have to take this." He excused himself and hurried away, leaving Emily with even more questions than answers.
~~~~~~~~~
Later that evening, in an undisclosed apartment, a man stood in his bathroom, phone pressed to his ear.
"Yes, she is back to work." He reported quietly.
"Then she is stronger than the first one." The caller remarked.
"I have seen what I needed to see. Now, tell me, what has she been up to?" The caller demanded.
"She has been asking questions... about Alexander and Charlotte's death." The man replied, his voice low.
"Oh, this one won't be boring at all. She is inquisitive and I love it." The caller said, his voice holding a note of satisfaction.
"Now, we have to tell her what she needs to know. Everything." He said.
There was a pause, then the caller continued, their voice laced with malice.
"She needs to learn the truth about Alexander Grey – the devil who orchestrated his own fiancée's death. And most importantly..."
The caller paused and his dry chuckle echoed through the phone.
"She needs to understand that by working for him, by resembling Charlotte, she has not just stepped into a job..."
"She has unfortunately stepped into her own grave."