AN: heeeey! So the first part of this chapter is a little bit complex, but I think that at the end of it, everything will make sense. You just keep reading LOL and if you have any questions, review it or inbox me! I think the plot here gets interesting... Anyway, enjoy!

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Once again the number didn't add up. Something was wrong and Caroline couldn't figure it out. She spent the last hour checking the client's profile and previous investments, but for some reason the numbers in the client's report didn't match the ones in the company's files.

There was a little knock on the door –although it was already open- and Caroline looked up to see Klaus there, leaning on the door frame.

"Busy, love?" He asked with those sinful dimples she loved so much.

"Yeah, why?" she barely mumbled, too distracted to form coherent sentences.

"I was hoping you would join me for lunch." He replied with a shrug.

At that, Caroline glanced at the clock on her desk and realized she spent more time on the report that she first intended.

"Oh crap!" She cursed, and then slapped her mouth in embarrassment. Klaus just smiled. "I'm sorry, I promised Katherine we would have lunch together so we could start planning the New Year's eve party."

Klaus nodded his head, clearly disappointed.

"Right. I should have a word with Elijah, he's making you work too hard."

Caroline smiled and ducked her head.

"You don't have to do that, I love my job." The smile she got from Klaus was so sincere and sweet, it made her heart flutter. "I just wish I understood some things better. Like this report. It doesn't make sense to me." She added pointing down to the papers in front of her.

"Is that why you looked like you hated it when I walked in?" He asked with a chuckle before walking around her desk. "Let me take a look."

He didn't bother picking up the report, he just leaned over Caroline's shoulder. She could feel his hot breath against the back of her neck and smell his aftershave. Her body felt hot all the sudden.

Klaus looked back and forth between the report and the company's file.

"You're right, something must be wrong. Where did you get this?" He asked pointing at the report.

"The client brought it this morning. They had a meeting with Elijah about having the company invest in them again. They wrote down some information about the new product they're launching and added a little bit about the previous time the company helped." Caroline explained.

"Which doesn't match with the numbers in the report." Klaus concluded. Caroline nodded.

"According to them…" Caroline started, but when she turned her head to look at him, her words died in her mouth. His face was so close to hers and her eyes flicked down to his lips before she could stop herself. "Uh… They made more money than we have here." She finally said while pointing at the company file. "The more money they make, the more money goes back to the company." Caroline explained.

Klaus frowned. According to the report, which was signed by Elijah, the company received less money than it should. So, where did that money go?

This was serious. Someone stole thousands.

Something in Klaus' face changed, making Caroline feel uneasy.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

Klaus put his hand on Caroline's shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Klaus said to her. "I'll figure it out." He added while taking the papers from her desk.

"Okay, thanks." Caroline said with a small smile. Klaus didn't move, so his face was still close to hers.

She thought she was seeing things, because for a second there, Klaus looked down to her lips.

"Am I interrupting something?"

They both turned to the door, where they found Katherine smirking at them, her arms crossed on her chest. Klaus quickly straightened and Caroline stood up.

"What?"

"No."

They said at the same time.

"Um uh." Katherine hummed unimpressed. "You know Caroline, if you're busy, we can have lunch some other time."

"No! No, it's fine, I was just showing Klaus something." Caroline said quickly. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Klaus' shoulder dropping from the corner of her eye. "Besides we need to plan the New Year's party and we are way behind." She gathered her things, oblivious of the dirty glare Klaus threw at Katherine and the knowing smile she threw back. Caroline started walking to the door where Katherine was when suddenly stopped and turned to him. "Don't forget you have your weekly dinner with your father tonight, so I'll see you at home afterwards." She said.

Klaus hated those dinners, but the idea of coming home to Caroline made his day a little bit better.

"I'll see you then, sweetheart."

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"This is the credit card you'll be using." Katherine said while pushing the little plastic square across the table to Caroline. "Everything you need for the party will be paid by the company."

Caroline took it with wide eyes.

"So pretty…" She said, making Katherine laugh. "Did you bring some photos?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't pay much attention to them if I were you. The last few years, this party has been… well, boring. Boring food, boring decorations, boring string quartet." Katherine said making a face.

"Oh I know what you mean. I hired a string quartet for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant the year after I was coroneted and I regretted it. I kept telling them to pick up the tempo. It was a pageant, not a funeral!" Caroline exclaimed.

Katherine nodded.

"All you to know is that these parties are always a black tie kind of event. So keep it elegant."

"And do women wear long dresses?" Caroline asked with wide, hopeful eyes. Katherine nodded. "Who gets invited?"

"All the CEO of the company's most important clients, and of course, all the employees of Mikaelson and Sons'."

"Does that mean I get an invitation too?"

Katherine looked at her surprised.

"Of course you do, silly! Besides, you're planning the party, you have to be there either way."

Caroline smiled widely for a second before she thought of something.

"I would need a fancy dress. I can't afford that…"

"I'm sure we can figure something out. You can borrow one of my dresses."

Caroline smiled.

"Thank you, Katherine."

Katherine smiled back, before something on her face changed.

"Yeah, let's not get corny, okay? And where is that damn waiter? I'm starving!" She said looking away.

Caroline giggled. She knew Katherine always pretended to be some cold hearted woman, probably to keep her reputation at the office, but she wasn't half bad. She was glad they met.

"What do you think of hiring a swing band?" Caroline suggested. "One of those big ones where the guys wear white suits and make you want to dance!"

"I like it." Katherine nodded. "What about the decorations?"

"I thought of a winter themed party, but with little bit of gold to make it warmer. And lots of Christmas lights." Caroline replied while writing down all her ideas. Katherine smiled.

"I can already tell this year's party will be a lot better."

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Sophie placed some folders on Klaus' desk with a sigh.

"These reports just arrived." She said. "Tell me again why we need these?"

Klaus looked at her annoyed.

"I didn't." He replied simply. Sophie just rolled her eyes and walked out of his office.

After seeing Caroline, Klaus told Sophie to phone all their clients and ask them to send a report to the company, one containing all the numbers related to the investments done by Mikaelson and Sons'. That included how much money the company invested in the different business and projects, the results they got and the profits that went to the company.

Some clients took more time than others, but after an hour, Klaus had enough reports to start. It took him a few hours to dig the company's files and compare them to the reports, but eventually he found something.

Many clients claimed to have paid the company more money that they actually received, which it meant that, somewhere along the transactions, money was stolen.

He also found a patron…

All those clients were Genevieve's accounts. All the files that didn't match the reports were written by her. They were also signed by Elijah Mikaelson, but Klaus knew his brother's signature and that wasn't it.

As he reached that conclusion, his hands dropped the papers on his desk.

Genevieve stole from the company.

"This is bad…. So bad…" He mumbled while rubbing his face. But then something clicked in his head. "No… no no… this is good. This is actually good." He told himself as a plan started to form in his mind.

He waited until everyone left to break into Genevieve's office and search through her files. He checked her file keepers, her desk, even her computer, but he came up empty handed.

"Well, of course." He groaned after an hour. She wouldn't be dumb enough to keep any kind of evidence in her office. If she kept anything with her, and that was a big IF –if she was smart then she would've burnt it already- then it would probably be at her house.

Twenty minutes later he stood by Genevieve's door. She opened it after he rang the doorbell a couple of times.

"Klaus… what are you doing here?" She asked surprised.

"What? Aren't you happy to see me, love?" He asked back grinning.

"O-of course, come on in…" The second she stopped aside to let him in, he pinned her against the wall, his lips devouring hers.

That night he went down on her two times, fingered once and finally fucked her roughly, leaving her exhausted. The second he let her take a break, she fell asleep.

Klaus knew he was good at sex, he had good hands and a skillful tongue, not to mention he was probably blessed by the gods –nine-fucking-inches-. This wasn't the first time he used sex to get what he wanted, but it surely was the first time he felt dirty afterwards. This woman stole from him, from his family business. She stole from the company his brother worked so hard on, and she even faked his signature. Who would ever be happy sharing a bed with her? Not him, not anymore.

But he had to do this, he needed a way in.

After Genevieve fell asleep, Klaus left the bed carefully, he put his clothes back on and walked through her apartment, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. He looked in the living room, into her purse, in her library, but didn't find anything. He then looked around for a computer and found a whole studio instead.

And there it was…

Inside a desk drawer was a red folder with all the original reports, the ones with the real numbers. Klaus found out then that all the money she stole was transferred to a big bank account in Las Bahamas. This went on for four years, getting Genevieve millions of dollars.

"You bloody slag…" He cursed Genevieve lowly.

That wasn't it. For the money to be transferred to the bank account, the bank needed Elijah's signature. Klaus knew that the signature in those papers were fake, but it did have Elijah's personal seal. How did Genevieve get it?...

And that's when it hit him…

Hayley.

Genevieve wasn't working alone. When Hayley was Elijah's assistant, she dealt with all the papers to make Elijah's job easier, which meant that she could decide which ones made it to Elijah's desk and which ones didn't. She also has Elijah's seal and she knew his signature.

That's also how Genevieve knew about Hayley getting fired to open the position for Caroline.

Genevieve was just as evil as he was and any other time, he would've been impressed. But not this time. She messed with his family, with his brother. He would never forgive her for that.

He left the apartment soon after that, the folder under his arm.

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Caroline was worried. It wasn't like Klaus to be out so late at night. He wasn't picking the phone and Elijah called her earlier to ask her if she knew where he was. When she told him she didn't, Elijah explained that Klaus missed their weekly dinner with Mikael.

So now, almost at two a.m. Caroline found herself sitting at the kitchen island, eating her worries in ice cream, while Spots laid on the floor next to her, his head resting on her foot. His presence always brought her some comfort but tonight she was really worried.

She heard the sound of a key in the lock and then saw Klaus walking into the penthouse. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were wrinkled and he looked tired.

She knew what all that meant and her heart broke a little at the idea of him sleeping with Genevieve while she sat there, worried about him.

When Klaus looked up and spotted her sitting in the kitchen, he gapped and his shoulders dropped.

"Caroline… What are you doing still up?"

"I couldn't sleep." She replied looking down. It wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth either.

Klaus nodded and walked into the kitchen, dropping a red folder on the counter on his way to the fridge. He took a bottle of water and downed it fast.

"Elijah is mad at you." Caroline said shyly after a moment. Klaus looked at her confused. He couldn't think of any reason for his brother to be mad, unless he found out about the millions Genevieve managed to steal. When Klaus didn't say anything, Caroline decided to elaborate. "You missed your dinner with your father."

At that, Klaus groaned. He completely forgot about it. He could already hear all the words Mikael reserved just for him. It wouldn't be the first time he called him a disappointment, a bastard, an embarrassment to the family.

"I couldn't care less about Mikael and his stupid dinner." He mumbled. "We only have those so he can torture me."

Caroline tilted her head.

"You and your dad don't get along?" she asked.

"HE'S NOT MY…" He snapped, only stopping himself before he said too much. His eyes opened widely at the change in Caroline's face due to his yelling. "My apologies." He mumbled looking down.

"He's not your… what?" Caroline pressed.

This was something he never told anyone. Only his parents and his siblings knew. Did Caroline need to know? Probably not. But did she deserve to know? Yes.

Klaus took a breath and sat down in front of her.

"He's not my father." He started. "My mother had an affair."

"Oh…" Caroline was speechless.

"And Mikael loves reminding me I'm a bastard." He added. She placed a hand on top of his. He knew she was trying to comfort him, but it felt weird. He never wanted anyone's pity and he surely didn't want to look weak in front of her.

"What about your real dad?" She asked after a moment.

"I met him once, before we moved to America. I had just found out, but it was already too late, he was sick and he passed away soon after that."

"I'm so sorry, Klaus." She said softly.

He took her hand that rested on top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Remember I told you I wanted to be an artist?" He asked and Caroline nodded. "I got that from him. He was an amazing artist. But after he died I couldn't draw again, or paint. I couldn't do anything, it didn't feel right." He told her. "Besides, Mikael hated that. It reminded him of my mother's betray."

Caroline frowned and sat straight on the stool.

"Now, that's not fair!" She said in a high pitched voice. "It wasn't your fault, it was your mom's! And even then, that doesn't give him the right to treat you badly!"

"Yeah, well… what can I do?" He asked with a shrug.

"I'll tell you what you can do. You can tell him to go to hell. You forget about those dinners and do whatever you wanna do with your life. You wanna paint? Paint! You wanna draw? Draw away!" She said throwing her arms in the air. "That might be the only connection you have left with your real father, you can't let it go to waste. And Mikael has no right to sit you down every week just to make you feel bad." She added with her hands on her hips. "You're a grown man; you don't have to put up with that crap."

Klaus looked at her dumbfounded. She didn't know Mikael like he did. She didn't know his family or the way they were…

But…

She was right. He didn't have to put up with Mikael's abuse. He owned part of Mikaelson and Sons', which meant that he couldn't get fired. Mikael had nothing on him. He also became a smart, well respected man. Mikael could always be disappointed at him, but that wasn't his fault and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew the rest of his family didn't think of him like that.

Klaus smiled softly at her.

"You are an angel, Caroline Forbes."

Caroline's face lightened bright red.

"Uh… nah, I'm just pointing out the truth."

Klaus liked that she was so humble. He also liked knowing he could make her blush.

"I guess I still should apologize to Elijah for not letting him know I wouldn't make it to the dinner."

Something in Caroline's eyes changed and suddenly she looked uncomfortable.

"Right." She mumbled. "So… um… where were you? I was a little worried." She said. That was an understatement.

Klaus didn't know how to tell her he was with Genevieve. He didn't think it was safe to tell her about the money Genevieve stole, at least not yet. But he didn't want her to think they were together either. He stood there in silence, not knowing what to say. Caroline saw right through him and sighed.

"Were you with Genevieve?" She asked. Defeated, Klaus nodded. "Can I ask you something? I know whoever you date is not my business. You can date whoever you want but I just wanna know, why her?" She asked, sounding truly upset. "She seems so mean and cold."

Klaus smiled bitterly.

"Perhaps we deserve each other then."

She shook her head.

"You know that's not true. You could do so much better."

Better, as you? He thought to himself. I could never deserve you…

He didn't say anything, so after a couple of minutes Caroline got up. She couldn't sit there any longer, not when he smelled like sex and Genevieve's perfume.

"I'm going to bed. Good night."

Klaus watched as she walked out the door, Spots following closely behind.

He knew he would get rid of Genevieve soon enough, but he feared he would never have a shot with Caroline.

Maybe it's too late…

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AN: Next chapter... Christmas! The feels! Katherine being sneaky! You'll love it, I'm sure :P

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