Page 26 of Twisted Temptation

College in California. Landed a job at a major tech company in San Francisco as a Content Strategist. She was on a fast track. Manager within two years. Glowing performance reviews.

Then she quit out of nowhere. No notice. No forwarding address. Just gone.

That was fifteen months ago.

Her mom’s cancer wasn't diagnosed until seven months ago.

So what made a woman at the top of her game abandon everything to run home to her parents?

I pull up her socials. Sunny had been a regular poster. Then, fifteen months ago, they stopped abruptly.

It’s like she vanished off the face of the Earth.

Something happened in California, and it was bad enough to make her run.

I pick up my phone and call Pete. He answers on the second ring.

"Is this all you have on Sunny Meadows?" I ask.

“That’s the best you’re going to get in the timeframe you gave me.”

“Dig deeper. I want everything. Roommates, coworkers, anyone she dated, and anyone she filed complaints against or who filed complaints against her. Hospital visits. Police reports. Don’t leave a stone unturned."

"That'll take me a couple of weeks."

"Do it. I want to know why she fled California."

“In my experience, it’s usually because of someone else.”

“It’s always because of someone else.”

I hang up, set the phone on the desk, and take another sip of scotch.

Who are you, Sunny Meadows? Most Likely to Make Everyone Smile.

My phone buzzes. It’s John Marco.

Are you ready?

I stand and collect my suit jacket from the back of my chair.

After shrugging it on, I text John Marco back.

Let’s get this over with.

13

SUNNY

The dress is absolutely breathtaking.

It’s a simple sheath of white Italian silk that falls from my shoulders to the floor, skimming my curves without clinging and is absolutely stunning.

This morning, this dress didn’t exist. But I have a feeling Charles and Irina can make anything happen.

I’m standing in the room that is now my bedroom, looking at my reflection in the full-length mirror.

There is a knock at the door. “Come in if you’re good-looking,” I joke in a miserable attempt to keep this moment as light as I can because I don’t feel light. I feel nervous and scared and barely keeping it together.