Chapter 192

By the time Ashton woke up the next morning, she was gone. He sat alone at the table, reading through the CroftTech acquisition contract while finishing the last of the eggs. They were cooked to perfection, Carmen’s usual standard. His phone rang. ‘Mr Laurent, I just sent over the footage,’ Dominic said. It was security footage, timestamped last night, just after eight, right outside The Atlas Room. The clip showed the whole group walking in. Rowan was two people away from Ashton. Clear distance. Nothing remotely intimate. ‘Took you long enough.’ Mirabelle believed him. Watching it now barely mattered. Dominic apologised. ‘Took me some time to track down the manager. Next time, I’ll get it to you faster.’ ‘Someone caught a misangled shot of me and Rowan Hale last night. I want the original source. Who took it. Where they were standing. Everything.’ His voice dropped lower. ‘Especially whether Rowan had anything to do with setting it up.’ ‘Understood.’ ‘And check if she’s been making ca