“Have you reached your superiors? What did they say?”

“They approved.” Ellis cut straight to the point, aware of how taut her nerves were.

“I’m gathering the division heads right now to launch the search.”

Relief burst from her chest.

“Thank you! I can’t thank you enough!”

“You don’t need to.”

A glance at his watch told him her waiting here would achieve nothing. However, the stubborn fire in her eyes stopped him from sending her away.

“Wait in my office for now. I’ll be back soon,” he said.

“Alright.”

After he left, she slipped inside, tapped out a quick message to Ernest with the news, and began pacing across the carpet.

Minutes dragged, and still she couldn’t calm her restlessness.

Her phone was set down at last, though her legs refused to keep still. Again and again, she found herself at the stairwell, peering down into the silence below.

The building remained hushed, likely because the officers were still tied up in meetings.

Unwilling to wander far, Hadley returned to the office, forcing herself into uneasy stillness.

A shrill ringtone shattered the calm without warning.

Her gaze darted to the desk—Ellis’ phone had been left behind. The call soon cut off, and the screen dimmed, yet a fleeting image froze Hadley where she stood.

Brows knitting, she moved closer to the desk.

Instead of lifting the device, she let her fingertip glide across the glass.

A passcode blocked her, as expected.

But Hadley’s intention wasn’t to unlock it—only to confirm what she thought she’d seen.

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Once the picture registered, Hadley jerked back, squeezing her eyes shut as though that could erase it.

Ellis’ feelings had never been a mystery; he had voiced them openly before.

What she had not imagined was this—that his wallpaper bore her face.

Their encounters had been few, and each time she had been firm in her rejection.

Even stranger, the photo had clearly been pulled straight from the internet.

Being a public figure, Hadley’s pictures were available everywhere with just a quick search.

That meant Ellis had deliberately hunted one down and saved it as his wallpaper?

Was his interest in her really that consuming?

It wasn’t that Hadley cared to measure his feelings. What unsettled her was the oddness of it all.

Ellis was a man in his thirties, mature and composed, exactly as a man his age should be.

Why, then, did he seem unreasonably drawn to her, without truly knowing her?

Her brows knit together as confusion clouded her face. So lost was she in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the door open.

When Ellis walked in, his eyes immediately caught Hadley near his desk, staring intently at the surface as though somewhere far away.

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Message from Noa: Hope you have a great Friday dear ones. God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (′ ? `) ?

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