CHAPTER 19

AXELLE

What could be so valuable about that artwork that Adan would be willing to trade the documents for it? The question gnawed at me as I pulled into the office parking lot. Something felt off the moment I stepped through the doors.

The moment I stepped inside, my instincts screamed that I was right.

My secretary, Dennise, came rushing toward me the second I entered the building, her face flushed with panic. "Good morning, ma'am!" she greeted me. "I've been trying to get ahold of you."

Her body language said it all—something was definitely wrong. "What's happening?" I asked, my pulse quickening.

"Someone called for an emergency board meeting," she blurted out, barely containing her anxiety. "I think it's about to start any minute now."