The days that followed Nathan's disturbing announcement bore heavily on Lily. She tried to keep her thoughts in line with their wedding plans, but the brewing tension at work was about to overflow into her life. The distraction in Nathan's mood and the evident appearance of Sophia at strange corners came to make her really feel bad.
Sophia was always polite but aloof. Lately, however, her behavior over Nathan had been sickeningly familiar. Lily couldn't turn a blind eye to the way Sophia's eyes followed Nathan or how she always found an excuse to be near him. Something wasn't quite right, and it hit Lily like a ton of bricks.
It was a crisp afternoon when Lily walked into Nathan's office, lugging along a huge pile of wedding planning stuff. Of course, she had intended to surprise him with the updates and ideas for their up-and-coming nuptials, but the office seemed unusually subdued. Nathan was sitting at his desk, and Sophia was nowhere to be found.
"Hey, Nathan," Lily greeted, trying to sound cheerful. "I have some choices here for the wedding invitations. What's your take?
Nathan looked up from his paperwork. His face softened when he saw her. "Lily, this is great. Let's take a look."
As Lily started to spread the invitation designs out over the table, she noticed Nathan's gaze distracted. Although he looked at the papers, he seemed to be in a world far away in his thoughts. "What's on your mind?" Lily asked, growing in concern.
He took a moment in speaking. "Some in the office have been talking about money that's gone missing. It's really stressing me out, and I worry how this may project onto everything."
Lily felt her heart sink. "Is there anything I can do to help? I want us to focus on our future, not be caught up in these problems.
Nathan sighed, "Thank you, Lily. I just have to be keen on what's going on here. Sophia's been helping me in the investigation."
The mention of Sophia's name ran a cold shiver down Lily's spine. "Sophia? She has something to do with it, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, she's handling some of the details," Nathan replied guardedly. "I trust her judgment."
She nodded, but her apprehensions were again surfacing. She could not shake off the feeling that what Sophia was doing was more than professional interest. She had seen the way Sophia looked at Nathan; it was not just as a colleague.
With each passing day, the atmosphere of the office kept increasing. It was clear that Nathan and Sophia had been spending more time together, as Lily had judged. Whenever she went to visit the office, it just so happened to be that Sophia would be in Nathan's office discussing top-secret things.
During last week, Lily left office one evening quite late and caught Sophia and Nathan talking in their usual hushed voices, but she heard words. some of their conversation. Words like "suspicious" and "evidence" made her heart race in anxiety as she put two and two together.
That night, Lily confronted Nathan, struggling to keep her voice from shaking. "Nathan. I want to talk to you about Sophia. Lately, I've got this bad feeling about her. Sure she's all right?"
Then, Nathan had turned serious. "Lily, I know you are concerned, but I want you to trust me on this one. Sophia is really helping me out with this very difficult problem. It's not what it looks like.
"I can't just turn a blind eye, Nathan, to how she's been acting lately; it's like there's been something going on behind my back."
The face of Nathan hardened, and his eyes were of ice. "Lily, you need to trust me; I'm handling everything in my power to be handled."
Despite Nathan's reassurances, a feeling of dread was building up in Lily. Trust in Nathan began to erode over the passing days. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Sophia was coming between them.
In the evening, Nathan came by the cabin with some news. "I've been getting some reports. They're accusing you of embezzling company funds."
Lily's eyes opened wide in shock. "What? That's absurd! I would never do something like that.
Nathan winced as he heard the weight of her words. "I know and it's difficult for you to believe me, but the evidence appears to be quite convincing. I have to believe this is serious."
The weight of his words now fell upon Lily's back with a heavy thump, and she realized just how terrible the situation before her truly was. "Nathan, you have to trust me. I'd never sell you or the company out."
Nathan's voice was strong, but at the same time heard some undercurrent of doubt which had begun tearing him apart from inside. "I must act more dilligently on this. In the meantime, we have to stay away from each other to avoid further complications."
Lily's world came crumbling down; she felt all her love and trust for Nathan being shattered. As she turned to leave the office, she saw Sophia standing not too far from her, her eyes cold and indifferent. Suddenly the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.