Chapter 8

Elijah stood on the second-floor balcony of the seaside villa, looking down at Lara playing on the beach with a gaze full of affection. Her laughter drifted to him on the sea breeze. With Avery far away and causing no trouble, he should have felt completely relaxed. But he felt a strange unease, as if something was telling him he needed to go back soon. He tried to reassure himself, thinking it might just be the company's recent unstable stock prices that had him worried. As the sky darkened, he picked up a shawl from the hanger and walked outside. When he reached Lara, she was on the phone and didn't notice him approaching from behind. "Perfect timing. That saves me the trouble of worrying about her again," Lara said through gritted teeth. "If any more dirt leaks, I don't believe the stock can recover this time." Just as she was about to put down her phone, she caught a glimpse of Elijah standing behind her. Lara quickly softened her voice. "Yes, have it sent to the seaside vil