Keeley took a deep breath before texting Aaron during her lunch break. Her nervousness and indecision were so intense she could barely eat her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Finally, she pressed send:

"Commuting is terrible, so I'll take you up on your offer. Can you help me move the rest of my stuff after work?"

He didn't reply for fifteen minutes, which was unusual. He normally responded instantly. Then:

"Yes. What time do you get off? I'll pick you up."

She texted him her quitting time, but he didn't respond further. Perhaps he was busy.

Regardless, she'd done what she had to do. Now, she had to concentrate on not overthinking it and avoid freaking out. Her research demanded focus, and she only had ten minutes left of her lunch break.

Aaron's hand trembled as he held his phone. He couldn't believe it. She'd said yes. She was going to stay with him, albeit temporarily. It was the best news he'd heard in a long time.

He didn't know how to respond after she told him she got off at five. He needed to play it cool to prevent her from changing her mind. This was one thing he couldn't mess up!

Glancing at the clock, he saw it was only 1:07. He couldn't leave before 4:30 at the earliest. How was he supposed to concentrate until then?

His phone dinged, and he eagerly snatched it up. Was it Keeley?

No. It was Aiden, telling him to check his email; he'd assembled a file on Graydon Meyer. It had certainly taken him long enough.

To be fair, he'd had more pressing assignments. Alistair had been meeting frequently with Brann Knighton in his office, and since the office wasn't bugged (Alistair was too paranoid), Aiden had to monitor nearby surveillance footage.

Aaron opened his email, and the room felt progressively colder the more he read. This mancould he be the one he'd been looking for?

Graydon Meyer, a twenty-nine-year-old owner of the popular app development company Appzoid, had seemingly appeared eleven years ago as a freshman at MIT. His name sounded familiar; he was a prominent playboy and considered one of New York's most eligible bachelors—right up there with Aaron.

Aiden, a skilled hacker, confirmed that the lack of records before 2002 indicated a fake identity.

If Graydon Meyer fathered Lacy's child, he must have held a grudge against the Hales. Aaron felt his original identity was the missing piece of the puzzle. No one completely innocent would go to the trouble of changing their name.

"Find me this man's original identity. I don't care how long it takes," Aaron ordered.

"Aye aye, captain!" Aiden replied instantly.

Aaron sighed, leaning back in his leather office chair. If Graydon Meyer was who he thought he was, he was just as instrumental in destroying Keeley as Lacy had been.

Max might have driven the car, but Lacy had ordered it, possibly at her lover's command. Aaron didn't know much about what happened then, as the mysterious father never appeared. He did know the man harbored a personal grudge against him and had wanted to steal his wealth and position using Lacy.

Aaron wasn't an idiot; he knew the child wasn't his when Lacy tearfully begged him to take responsibility. He'd never touched the woman.

She'd spun a tale about being tricked into believing the man she slept with was Aaron. He didn't know if she was telling the truth, but he guessed someone was trying to use the child to infiltrate the Hale family.

Everyone knew Keeley couldn't have children; seven years had passed without a pregnancy. If someone claimed a Hale child, it would be readily accepted.

Aaron figured the child's father wanted to use the baby as a weapon to destroy the Hales from within. The question was why. Why go to such lengths? And why give up after Keeley's death?

The baby was adopted by a nice family when Lacy went to prison, at only six months old. Why hadn't the father claimed it?

Giving up after Keeley's death was the most puzzling aspect. Aaron didn't think he was the type to quit after Plan A failed. He thought the man was after his assetsor was he only after his happiness?

That didn't make sense. Everyone believed he wasn't in love with Keeley at the time; they were on the verge of divorce, a topic of much high-society gossip.

There had to be an explanation, but he likely wouldn't get it. All involved parties lacked memories of their past lives. Even if Graydon Meyer was the man he sought and Aaron confronted him, he couldn't ask why things unfolded as they did.

Frustrated, Aaron clenched his fists.

"If you are who I think you areyou're dead," he thought viciously.

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