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Then, the pieces clicked into place. Emma had lied about her identity and obscured details from her past. Now she was gone, and a forgery had replaced Aurora. As much as Patrick’s mind fought against the obvious conclusion, he knew what had happened. Emma had infiltrated LWC Capital and gotten close to him so that she could steal Aurora.
The realization was heartbreaking, so much so that Patrick stumbled backward until the couch met his knees and he fell back. Emma had lied to him, tricked him, deceived him. He thought of how her eyes had always lit up at the mention of his private collection and felt his stomach twist. She hadn’t been excited to spend time with him, not really. She’d only needed access to this painting.
He searched for another explanation, any other explanation, but there was nothing. It had to have been Emma who stole the painting. She’d been the only one in his house in the last few days, and she’d mysteriously disappeared this morning. It simply couldn’t be anyone else.
The more he thought about it, the heavier Patrick’s heart became. Emma had lied to him. The only question that remained was whether everything had been a lie. Had every story, every flirtation, every kiss been nothing more than a ruse to win his trust? He thought of Emma’s beautiful brown eyes as she’d looked at him, her gaze so full of affection. It couldn’t all have been a lie. It couldn’t have.
Patrick spent the rest of the evening on the couch. He stared unseeingly at the forgery of Aurora and wondered where Emma was now. What she was doing. Maybe she was already planning where to sell Aurora on the black market. Maybe she was already planning her next job. After all, she’d been so smooth and prepared. This couldn’t have been the first time she’d done something like this.
Finally, after midnight, Patrick walked to his room and fell into bed, his clothes still on. He laid awake for a long time, then was pulled into a whirlpool of dreams of Emma. Even though he knew that they hadn’t known each other for long, she was all he could think about.
When he woke the next morning, though, he had a new resolve. Emma had lied to him, infiltrated his company, and stolen a precious piece of artwork. He certainly had feelings for her, but he couldn’t imagine that she returned them. Not after this. No, Patrick had to do what was right. He had to turn the thief over to the police.
He still ached for Emma, but at least he knew what he had to do now.
He took a refreshing shower, dressed, and headed for the door. The first thing he needed to do was alert Owen so that he’d be on the lookout for the Aurora. Then Patrick would go to the police and share every detail he knew about Emma, which he realized was almost nothing.
On the way to the door, he passed the forgery. This time, something new caught his eye. One section of the painting was in a very familiar dark red color, a color he was sure he’d seen on Emma’s slim hand a few weeks before. A few more pieces of the puzzle clicked into place and he paused in front of the painting. Emma had talked about how she hadn’t painted in a long time, and Patrick had encouraged her to paint again. This couldn’t be…
But it was. The more he considered the idea, the more sure he was that Emma herself had painted this forgery. Something about the quality and freedom in the lines reminded him of her, along with that familiar paint color. It shouldn’t change anything that Emma was the artist, but for some inexplicable reason, it did.
Then Patrick saw something else. In the top corner of the painting, a small part of the sky was painted ever so slightly darker than the surrounding colors. It was in the shape of a heart.
That definitely hadn’t been in the original painting.
Patrick looked at it for a long while to make sure that he wasn’t imagining things. Then he went to work.
As soon as he arrived at the office, he hurried to Owen’s desk.
“Do you have a moment?”
Owen looked up from his computer. “Of course. Now?”
“Yes, please.”
Patrick led Owen to his office. Both men entered, and Patrick closed the door behind them and gestured for Owen to take a seat.
“Is this about our short-time colleague and her abrupt resignation?” Owen’s voice was light and friendly.
“Not exactly.” Patrick sat behind the desk. “Although we should discuss that. Please feel free to fill the role whenever you are ready.”
“Thank you. So, what did you want to talk about?”
Patrick sighed. “There’s been a theft from my personal collection.” Owen’s eyes widened, but Patrick held up a hand. “It’s nothing to worry about. I doubt the thief will bother me again. But I want you to be on the lookout for the painting that was stolen.”
“Yes, of course.” Owen composed himself quickly. “Which painting was it?”
“Aurora.”
“Oh. Wow. How did… how did this happen?”
“I’m not sure of the details.” That was technically true, but Patrick didn’t add that he had a pretty good idea.
“I… wow. Are you upgrading your security system?”
Patrick sighed again. “You know, that might not be such a bad idea. But as I said, I also don’t think the thief will bother me again.”
He almost wanted Emma to turn up so that he could ask her what had happened. He’d almost be willing to sacrifice another of his paintings just to see her. But he kept his mouth shut.
