Rachel sat quietly in the back of the ambulance as a paramedic cleaned the cut on her forehead.
"You'll need a few stitches," the paramedic said.
"It's only a scratch."
The paramedic smiled.
"I've heard that one before."
Lukas stood beside her, arms folded.
For once, he didn't argue.
He was still staring at the small black screw in his hand.
It didn't belong there.
Not if the elevator had been inspected only three days earlier.
A police officer approached them.
"Mr. Lukas?"
He looked up.
"I'm Detective Harris. I'd like to ask both of you a few questions."
Rachel nodded.
"Go ahead."
"Were either of you expecting any threats recently?"
Rachel and Lukas exchanged a brief glance.
"No," Rachel answered.
The detective scribbled something in his notebook.
"What about business rivals?"
Rachel gave a tired smile.
"I run one of the largest companies in the country."
"I have hundreds."
The detective wasn't surprised.
"We'll investigate every possibility."
Before leaving, he paused.
"One more thing."
"The maintenance supervisor insists the elevator was in perfect condition this morning."
Lukas's grip tightened around the screw.
"So it really wasn't an accident..."
The detective met his eyes.
"We're treating it as attempted murder."
Silence.
Those words lingered in the air long after the detective walked away.
That evening...
Rachel was discharged from the hospital.
The drive back to the mansion was unusually quiet.
Neither of them spoke.
When they finally arrived, Rachel reached for the door handle.
"Lukas."
She stopped.
"What?"
"You don't have to pretend you're okay."
She looked at him.
"I'm not pretending."
"You almost died today."
Rachel lowered her eyes.
"I know."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Lukas sighed.
"I was terrified."
Rachel looked up in surprise.
"When that call ended..."
He shook his head.
"I thought I'd lost you."
The words hung between them.
Rachel searched his face.
He wasn't acting.
He wasn't speaking because of the contract.
He genuinely meant every word.
A warmth spread through her chest.
One she hadn't felt in years.
She smiled softly.
"Thank you..."
Lukas smiled back.
"You know..."
"I'd rather not visit you in a hospital again."
She let out a small laugh.
"I'll try my best."
As they stepped inside the mansion, the butler greeted them.
"Welcome home, Miss Rachel... Mr. Lukas."
Then his expression changed.
"There is... one problem."
Rachel frowned.
"What happened?"
The butler swallowed.
"Someone entered your study while you were away."
Rachel's eyes widened.
"My study?"
"Nothing appears to be stolen."
He hesitated.
"But..."
"The locked drawer where you kept the photograph..."
"...it's empty."
Rachel's face turned pale.
"No..."
She pushed past them and ran upstairs.
Lukas followed close behind.
The drawer was wide open.
The photograph...
Had vanished.