The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

Annie barely had a moment to check the photos before Harry came back from the bathroom.

"Dave's been blowing up your phone," he said, handing it back to her.

They never kept secrets from each other, so even if Annie peeked at Harry's phone, it wasn't a big deal. But she chose to respect his privacy.

Harry took the phone and opened the photos Dave had sent. There were a ton of pictures of Joe chatting with Julia, looking after a kid, and even a shot of Julia kissing the child. Harry frowned as he scrolled through them. What was Joe doing taking a kid on a date?

Julia, using the alias Kayla, used to be with Mr. Jenkins, and now she's with Joe? Things were definitely getting interesting.

Harry had discovered that the one constantly challenging Elysian Technologies was Ashton.

Ashton didn't run his own company but held stakes in over a dozen, pulling strings behind the scenes. The last time Flynn was set up, was it Joe and Ashton teaming up? Seeing Harry deep in thought over the messages, Annie asked, "What did you ask Dave to do?"

"Keep tabs on Joe," Harry replied, sending a quick text back to Dave: Keep following him, and find a chance to bring Kayla to me.

Putting down his phone, Harry told Annie, "I figured Joe might be in contact with Julia, so I had Dave look into it."

"Julia's slippery, and Joe loves going against you. Even if he knows something about her, he won't tell us," Annie worried aloud. "As long as Julia's out there, she's a threat."

...

At the bistro.

Joe wiped his pants and returned from the restroom. Julia had already returned the child and was now sitting, picking at her food.

She acted like she didn't care about the kid in front of Joe.

Trying to keep her emotions in check, Julia reminded herself that the child was Joe's, which helped her stay composed.

Joe, with a mocking smile, saw through Julia's act. Sitting down, he teased, "I got us a room upstairs. Want to 'play' after dinner?"

Julia was about to reply when a message from Ashton came in, ordering her back. Ashton held the reins on her life, and she had to comply.

Ignoring the message for now, Julia smiled at Joe and said, "Not feeling well, maybe another time."

Joe grabbed her hand, his fingers teasing her palm, and taunted, "Since when have you not enjoyed our games? Screaming in delight?"

Julia pulled her hand back angrily. "Joe, it's just for fun. If I feel like it, I will. If not, I won't."

Joe chuckled, "Having someone backing you sure makes you bold, huh? Never knew you had it in you. Who's your backer? Was it them who told you to frame Flynn?"

Julia panicked. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm really not feeling well, I need to go."noveldrama

Julia made a hasty exit, and Joe didn't stop her. He leisurely sipped his wine, turning to the baby in the stroller beside him, "I thought your mom had learned something. Guess not, she's still the same."

Little Daria babbled away, oblivious to the world.

As soon as Julia left the bistro, Dave was on her trail.

With orders to bring her in, failure wasn't an option.

Unaware she was being followed, Julia drove as usual, heading toward her place. Just as she was about to switch lanes, her phone rang. It was Ashton: "Keep going straight, don't head to the mansion. Drive out of town; Harry's people are on you."