The meeting came to an end as Lucien and Lin gathered their things, and the Gersbachs extracted a promise from Kam to go to Geneva for a few days the following week.

“Do you know Richard St. Claire?” Kam asked Ian once they were alone in his office.

Ian nodded. “He’s a nice guy. Young and healthy, too. Seems strange that something like this could happen.”

“Some of the newer respiratory viruses can be dangerously virulent,” Kam replied.

“The meeting went well. You were right: that device is a linchpin, a flagship product, not a means to an end for building capital. You’re going to be able to name your terms with Gersbach and any number of other companies.”

“Thanks,” Kam said, meaning it. He valued Ian’s opinion more than Ian knew. He’d regretted telling him he was going to ask Lin to work with him, even though he was convinced it was the right thing to do. He sat in front of Ian’s desk when Ian took his seat behind it. “Does this mean you’re not pissed at me anymore?”

Ian leaned back in his leather chair, elbows on the arm rests, fingers forming a bridge near his chin. He considered Kam coolly.

“It means that if I were in your shoes, I’d probably be doing the same thing. I might not like the idea of you taking Lin from Noble, but given what you plan, even I have to agree it’s a smart move. She’s lit up over that device. She’s practically glowing over it, and when that happens, Lin is impossible to resist. You two are going to have trouble keeping up with the demands for that watch.”

“You actually think she’ll agree to come with me?”

“I’ve never seen her so excited about a product. She seems even more enthusiastic about you.”

Kam cleared his throat in the charged silence that followed.

Ian gave Kam a pointed, steely glance. “That doesn’t mean part of me won’t be pleased if she turns you down. Still, if she stays with Noble, I hope she does it because it’s what she truly wants, not because she’s worried about being disloyal to me,” Ian conceded.

“She is loyal to you. No doubt about it,” Kam mused, feeling a little defeated at the very idea. There was no way he could compete with the years of experience, family ties, and close working relationship Lin shared with Ian.

Ian grimaced slightly and sat forward, bracing his forearms on his desk.

“Are you doing anything in particular to convince her?”

Kam blinked. “I told you how I plan to incentivize her.”

“Not like work incentives. I mean anything personal to set the atmosphere. Woo her. Are you taking her out to a nice dinner, at least, in order to broach the topic?” Ian persisted when Kam just stared at him in blank bemusement. “It’s a big deal what you’re proposing to do. You should do it right.”

“Are you giving me hints for how to convince Lin to work for me?” Kam asked incredulously.

“It looks like someone has to,” Ian muttered under his breath. “Take her out to a nice dinner. Order champagne. Get her some flowers.”

“Flowers?” Kam repeated.

“Yes,” Ian agreed as if warming to the subject. He picked up his phone and began tapping on the screen. “Get her purple lotuses. They’re her favorite. I’ll give you the number of the only florist in town that sells them. The owner grows them specifically for me to get for Lin. They’re extremely rare flowers. I’ve texted you the number of the florist,” he said, setting down his phone. “Kam?” he asked when Kam just sat there, frozen.

A strange wind seemed to be rushing in his ears. A vision of all those carefully preserved lotus flowers sitting in Lin’s bedside table drawer flashed before his eyes.

Lin had said she’d been in love before. When Kam had asked her what had happened she’d said . . .

. . . Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He was someone else’s, never mine.

He heard her voice as if she’d just spoken. She’d sounded sad. Resigned. If there was one woman he knew who could contain her sadness and pain and face each day with a determined smile, it was Lin. He’d always sensed that trace of sadness to her, a hint of loneliness. He just hadn’t fully realized the origins of it until now.

Lin was in love with Ian. Of course she was. She’d never revealed her secret because she’d sensed Ian didn’t return her feelings.

She was attracted to him—Kam—because he resembled Ian.

“Kam?” Ian repeated, bringing him out of his analytic trance. “Are you all right? You looked like you’d seen a ghost all of a sudden.”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks for the advice,” Kam mumbled as he stood. It all seemed so obvious now. Everyone said they’d never witnessed loyalty and devotion like Lin showed Ian. Ian was handsome, powerful, sophisticated, rich, and brilliant—the very epitome of what a woman would find attractive. She’d first met him when she’d been an impressionable teenager. It was no surprise she idolized him from the start. An entire generation of people Ian’s age and younger idolized him, not only for all he’d accomplished, but also for his influence in the social media and electronic-gaming sectors.

Ian had given Lin those flowers over the years, and Lin had carefully saved and preserved them near where she’d dreamed night after night. Those dried flowers were the only visible symbol of a passion she’d vowed to keep hidden.

She should have told him. Didn’t he have a right to know why she found him attractive? Was the hesitance he sensed in her at times inspired by guilt on her part? Did she know she was wrong in using him as a substitute for another man?

He bid Ian good-bye and left his office. Ian had been right. Kam had seen a ghost of sorts. It’d been himself. He’d been the phantom in his affair with Lin, a blurry, shadowy facsimile of the man she loved.

Lin’s phone began to ring as she walked through the main lobby at Northwestern Memorial. She’d seen Richard and Emile, and both of them were in reasonably good spirits. Much to her relief, she learned that Richard’s prognosis was very good.

She suppressed her disappointment when she saw it wasn’t Kam calling.

“Ian? Hi,” she said into the phone, pausing in front of a floor-to-ceiling window near the lobby exit.

“How’s Richard?” he asked.

“He’ll be fine. A pretty severe infection had set in, so the doctor recommended a course of IV antibiotics. That was why it necessitated an inpatient stay. They say he’s going to recover quickly, though. Lucien just left and I was on my way out.”

“Are you coming back to the office?”

“I have my class tonight,” Lin reminded him. She was hoping Kam would meet her there.

“Sure, I understand,” he said distractedly. “It’s just that I wanted to speak to you about something.”

“I’ll come back then.”

“No . . . no, that’s not necessary,” Ian said. She sensed his preoccupation.

“What is it, Ian?”

“I’d rather not broach the topic on the phone, but I suppose I should bring it up now before Kam mentions it to you.”

“What?” Lin asked, puzzled by his manner.

“Kam plans to ask you to work for him. Not just for him. With him. He wants you to be a full partner in Reardon Technologies, his new company.”

Lin just stared blindly out the window at a row of cabs waiting at the curb.

“You’re surprised?” Ian asked after a pause.

“To put it mildly,” she replied hollowly. It suddenly felt very hard to move her lungs. A tingling sensation started on her hands and feet. “How . . . how long has he been planning this?”

“According to him, the idea has been coming on ever since he met you. He has an enormous amount of respect for you, Lin,” Ian said quietly. “I think he realized how much he needs you to make this company fly.”

Needs you to make his company fly. Is that what all of this had been about? Had her seduction been a means to acquire her for his business dynasty?

“I . . . I don’t know what to say,” Lin mumbled. She felt numb.

“I can tell it’s coming to you as quite a shock,” Ian said. “The only reason I mentioned it before Kam had a chance to is that it came to my attention that you might turn him down out of loyalty to me. To Noble Enterprises. I wanted you to know that whatever you decide, I’ll be behind you. Kam is willing to offer you things that I can’t. He’s willing to offer you things most business owners would never consider.”

“You make it sound like you want me to leave,” Lin said, feeling stung and confused by the news.

“No. That’s not it at all. Nothing would make me happier than if you took your time with the decision and came to the conclusion that Noble is where you want to remain. You know how much I value you. At least I hope you do. But the fact remains: Kam’s offer is highly generous. I can tell you love the product. With Kam’s brilliance and your business savvy, you two would be unstoppable.”

The silence roared in her ears.

“Just think about it, Lin,” Ian continued, his tone warmer than usual. “More than you’ve thought about the dozens of other offers you’ve gotten over the years that you’ve turned down. You and I were going to discuss this week the relocation of Noble to London, at least for a short time period. That would certainly change up your life as well. If anything, it’s another factor you’ll need to consider in making your decision.”

“Yes. I have a lot to think about. Thank you for telling me your thoughts on the matter, Ian,” she said, glad to hear that her voice sounded even.

“I’m available if you need to toss things around. I’m also flexible in regard to making your position at Noble as comfortable for you with the location change as I can. This isn’t about me not wanting you, Lin. You’re the best damn executive I’ve had, or will ever have. I can say that without a doubt of ever changing my mind. More importantly, you’re a good friend. I care about you. I want whatever you want. Do you understand?”