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Chapter 24 : Gossiping
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Empire of Deception Chapter 25 : A Villain
*Adrian*"Amelia is too nice for you," Evelyn said when we got back to my office, "Promise me you won't chew her up and spit her out like you have the last ten women you've been involved with.""You know damn well "nice girls" aren't my type. Amelia and I may have sexual chemistry, but that's all it is. We've been trapped together, and we used each other for temporary stress relief. That's it. Now, can we please stop talking about my sex life? It's not appropriate in the workplace."Evelyn punched my shoulder, "You were just telling me the other day about how you seduced the executive from MID, you just don't want to talk about Amelia because you have feelings for her somewhere in that black heart of yours."I was beginning to get pissed off. I didn't have feelings for Amelia outside of concern and a morose understanding because of our similar losses. I wasn't going to entertain this conversation with Evelyn any longer, so without a word, I left her standing by her desk and shu
Empire of Deception Chapter 26 : An Old Friend
*Amelia’s POV*“Don’t be deceived, Amelia. You only like me because we’re standing on the same side of this case. I am a villain. It would do you well to remember that.”Adrian's words echoed in my head as I tried to sleep last night and all through the following workday. I had no idea if I could trust him, and with everything that was going on, it had left me unsure if he had my best interest in mind. Last night, he had left his cell phone on the counter in the kitchen while he took a shower. I managed to sneak in and send myself the picture of the men that followed Evelyn and me.Now, I wanted to speak with someone impartial to MID and Adrian, and there was only one person that came to mind: James Callahan.I dialed his number and waited for him to answer. Anxiety coursed through me because I knew he'd be intensely concerned for my safety. Not only because of MID and their henchmen that were following me around, but also the proximity the case had caused between Adrian and me
Empire of Deception Chapter 27 : Do You Want Me To Stop?
*Adrian’s POV*Amelia and her cop friend embraced. The man's hands rested on the small of her back, and his eyes lingered on her face as he leaned in. There was a long pause before they finally parted. I felt a fierce jealousy swell up in my chest as I watched them.I had no right to feel this way. Amelia was free to do whatever she wanted, and I had made it perfectly clear to her that I wasn't interested in pursuing anything with her. The sexual attraction we shared was a nuisance, and I knew that we shouldn't have ever gotten involved in that way.The man gave me a hostile look when he saw me, and I grinned voraciously and offered him a small wave. He didn't return the gesture, and stood and watched as Amelia walked to my car."What are you doing here?" She asked when she slid into the passenger seat."I was worried about you," I said honestly, "and wanted to make sure you were safe. Rent-A-Cop doesn't understand the gravity of the situation, and it was stupid of you to lea
Empire of Deception Chapter 28 : Dark Stains
*Amelia’s POV* I worked through reading client testimonies and tried to make sure I was prepared for the next day's juror selection. I had the facts memorized, I knew they were responsible for the injury, but I still worried about the outcome. Law was always unpredictable like that.The first thing I learned when I began working was that you had to prepare for the unexpected. There wasn’t a single case that would come without surprises, and even the most straight-forward case would have twists and turns.I put the paperwork I needed for later that night into my bag, then tidied up my desk and looked out the window. The sun was still up, and there were people milling around the sidewalk. I liked to try and picture what they were here for, some for court dates because they were criminals, others were innocent people like my clients waiting to hear the fate of their cases.My mom and I had always loved ‘people watching’ together. We used to sit in the mall and make up silly stori
Empire of Deception Chapter 29 : Bribes
*Adrian’s POV*I watched Amelia storm out of the diner, and for the first time in my adult life, I felt a little bad about intentionally hurting someone's feelings. I had been doing whatever I needed to secure my spot in the world for so long, that I forgot what it was like to care about others.Amelia was gradually causing me to become vulnerable, whether she knew it or not. My emotions towards her put me at a disadvantage, and I wanted this case to be over quickly. I couldn't risk being pulled away from my work - the life I led was too perilous.I wondered what Amelia would do when the case was over: Would she be able to go back to her old life and forget about me? Or would I be stuck with a pining stalker who couldn't let go of the idea of the two of us having a happily ever after? I couldn’t imagine Amelia going to those lengths, but infatuation made people completely and utterly useless. She looked at me sometimes, and I swear I could see a future with me bubbling under the
Empire of Deception Chapter 30 : Something Sinister
*Amelia’s POV*My heart raced as I waited for what was going to happen next - surely whatever was about to occur wasn't good.The hand over my mouth tightened, and then a familiar voice whispered in my ear, "Shh, Amelia. It's me."My head spun with relief when I heard his voice, but then he let go of me, stepping away from me so that he could look at me properly."What the fuck is wrong with you?" I asked sternly. "You shouldn't have followed me and snuck up on me like that. You know everything that's going on, I thought I was going to be killed."James straightened and gave me a serious look, "I'm sorry. But I don't trust Adrian and his men. I wanted time to talk with you without them breathing down the back of our necks. I have something to show you.""You couldn't have texted me and warned me?" I quizzed him.He shook his head, and his hair fell into his eyes highlighting the handsome boyish charm that exuded from his every gesture, "No. I don't know who’s reading your
Empire of Deception Chapter 31 : Making Connections
*Amelia’s POV*"We have to follow that van, James," I urged him.He shook his head, "Absolutely not. You're not a cop, Amelia. You can't just approach people you think may be committing a crime and confront them. Hell, I can't even follow them and confront them right now because this isn't a case I'm even supposed to be working on. My Captain has no idea I've been doing extracurricular stakeouts. He'd be pissed."I gave him a shocked look, "You can't tell me he would be mad at you for trying to stop a company from exploiting some of society's most vulnerable people?"James sighed and took my hands in his, "Look, we don't have a shred of evidence that says anything bad is happening to those people. I can't go on a wild goose chase when nothing has been substantiated. Think of what could go wrong with you interfering with this when we already believe MID has a hit out on you. Do you think they'd let you leave alive?"Realistically, I knew he was right, but I still hated it when
Empire of Deception Chapter 32 : Someone Else
*Adrian’s POV*Amelia hung up on me, and I threw my phone against the dashboard of my car. How could she be stupid enough to believe that worthless excuse for a cop could keep her safe? He walked her into a fucking murder scene without regard for her safety. My anger intensified with each passing second as I drove toward Rebecca's home, and anxiety began to rise in my core. With Amelia being so reckless, I knew that the odds of her getting hurt were too high.I turned onto Rebecca's street and fought to regain control of my emotions. I didn't want to enter her house and have her catch on to my foul mood. I needed her calm, relaxed, and complacent. The last time I was with her, she gave me valuable information, and I was hopeful she would continue to trust me enough to reveal more.I rang the doorbell and Rebecca answered, wearing a revealing negligee that accentuated her voluptuous body. Her long, auburn hair cascaded effortlessly down her back, and I couldn’t help but admire how
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