I stopped breathing and blankly stared at the face that used to be so familiar. A few strands of dirty-blond hair slipped out from under the black cap. His gray eyes—the only thing that once made us look alike—seemed almost lifeless, coated by a thick filter of dark void. The deep shades under his eyes were the proof of more than a few sleepless nights, and a few days' stubble made him look a decade older than he was. One of his cheeks was covered with several round scars that seemed burned. He released my hands and stepped back. "Sarah, you have to help me," he said, his voice hoarse and ragged. I looked around; we were in the side alley with no living soul in sight. My lady bag lay on the ground, a foot or so away from me. Drawing a shaky breath, I faced him. "What happened to you?" I asked, even though there were a thousand other things I wanted to say, beginning with asking how he could kill someone. His eyes feverishly scanned my features. "Sarah," he muttered, locking his eyes
ALEXI was sitting in the room on top of the Corbin Modern Art Museum, Philip Corbin's office. New York's most mysterious businessman sat behind his desk, staring at me, a faint smile curving his mouth. Many legends grew around Philip Corbin. Some said that he was born in the slums and started working for the mafia when he was six. Some said that he had been adopted by one of the Chinese Triads' bosses and that he inherited quite a fortune after the boss's death. Then again, another story said that he saved the money he earned doing all kinds of shady business and tripled it playing cards in casinos around the world. People admired him, respected him, but mostly were extremely wary of him. He had been known for rejecting ninety-nine percent of business offers, but the one percent that he accepted received his utmost attention and always turned out to be a financial success.I took a risk reaching out to him and an even bigger risk revealing the plans for my secret project. I didn't kn
SARAHIt was early morning. I sat on the sofa, staring blankly at whatever was in front of me. After everything that had happened last night, I fell asleep as soon as I came back home. When I woke up, I saw a few missed calls from Detective West. I called him back…Bram was dead. I had acknowledged the news, but, at the same time, I hadn't. It felt as if my brain shut down and then froze during rebooting. Deep down inside, I knew what caused that state. I just didn't want to let myself think about it."Do you want some coffee? Tea? A double shot of vodka?" Joy tried to force any kind of reaction from me. I knew I had to get myself together, but I was afraid that If I moved I would break the fragile construction I had built to protect myself. And I was right. I looked at Joy, and every piece of it crashed."I was the one who killed him," I said breathlessly.Joy blinked. "What the hell are you talking about? Did you hit your head or something?"I shook my head and looked at her. "Bram
ALEXI was running on fumes. I was dealing with a lot of issues far more complicated than the regular company crisis, and the news of my guard's killer's death was like a cherry on a fucking disgusting pie. I had spent more than seven years thinking about my big project—seven long years of dreaming and never moving an inch forward until that moment. I wasn't going to lie; Sarah was the one who had given me that push. Not that she knew about it. It wasn't only about freeing myself from the marriage contract; it was about following the path I had chosen.I might have been the CEO of Ravenford Corporation, but the truth was that all the paths there were decided decades ago, and I was only obligated to lead the company through them. Most of our major investments were around the East Coast. That market was well-known, and with our solid position, it was also quite predictable. That strategy might have built the company's concrete foundations, but I was itching to take a turn. I knew that t
SARAHAfter everything that had happened with Bram and that strange situation with somebody stealing my trash, the only thing I wished for was a day off. Unfortunately, I had to make sure that Alex's office was finished by the end of the week.I forced the painters and carpenters to work until noon on Saturday. Then they went home, and I finished the remaining details myself. I saw two guards wandering around the top floor's corridor at five or six. They were two tall and bulky men. They watched me—a fragile woman—moving the furniture on my own. When I called them for help, they pretended they didn't hear me and moved to the other part of the corridor. Well, the gentlemen in that company surely were an endangered species.I finished my work around two or three in the morning, drained beyond my limits. Every muscle in my body was ready to say hello to the pillow. There was only one problem: my pillow was on Park Avenue, and my legs refused to move.The communication system between me a
My circuits must have fried because I stilled, allowing him to taste me, and I had to admit that nothing about his touch felt unpleasant. Liam's spider senses most likely sent him a signal to stay quiet because he didn't utter a single word while an almost stranger kissed his mother in front of him. God, this was so awkward….Cameron took his hands away from my cheeks and grabbed my hand instead. I was still somewhere in the middle of comprehending this whole bizarre situation when I shifted my gaze to Nick. My crappy ex turned pale. He was literally three shades whiter than just a moment ago. His eyes were firmly locked on Cameron. The woman standing next to him looked like she stopped breathing and stared at Ravenford with her mouth open."M-Mr. Ravenford… What are you doing here?" Nick managed.Cameron's eyes turned to me, and he gently stroked my cheek. "Do you know Connors? Was he bothering you?"My lips twitched, forming a faint smile. How did Cameron know Nicolas? And why was h
ALEX"I kissed Jeanette while Sarah was watching," I muttered before finishing the remains of liquor in my glass.Grayson's brows rose. "OK… That's… kinky. Didn't know you're into stuff like that."I flipped him a bird and drew out a curse. "That's part of the fucking plan. I need to pretend that I'm fine with it."His eyes grew wider. "So... Jeanette is into stuff like that?"I gave him a look. "Yes, and I'm sure that she'd be thrilled if I kissed Sarah while she was watching too."There was a pause. "That was sarcasm?" I sent him a cold glare, and he chuckled. "Just checking."I looked at the time; it was close to one in the morning. We were sitting in my new office, drinking. It was the third time this week. I had to admit I liked it better than going back to my penthouse. I loved everything Sarah had done with the place, and staying in that office was the only way I could compensate myself for the fact that I couldn't get anywhere near her. And, yeah… This was quite pathetic.Gray
“It was a complicated combination of explosive materials, lethal as hell,” said Officer Brown, a specialist from the bomb squad. “These ingredients are not something you can just buy on the internet. This bomb was custom-made and calculated to destroy everything within a very specific range.”I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I'm not sure whether or not I feel relieved that whoever tried to tear down my building knew exactly what he was doing.”I had been sitting at the police station since noon, and it was almost seven. Fortunately, Grayson and Anica handled our investors, keeping them oblivious to the fact of what had truly happened in the basement. They had all been notified that a certain problem with one of the workers had occurred and that it had been immediately dealt with. I wish I could borrow some of that blissful ignorance since the picture of a guy slitting his throat in front of me kept appearing whenever I closed my eyes for a mere blink.Detective West handed me a cup o
ALEX Four and a half years later I opened my eyes to see Sarah's gorgeous sleeping face, and my lips instantly stretched into a wide smile. God, I would never have enough of watching her sleep. There were only two other faces I loved more: her face when she smiled and the blushing face that appeared shortly after she reached her climax. Actually, I would gladly work to see that blushing face right now, but I couldn't risk being late today. This day was going to be perfect. I dipped my head to brush my lips against hers. I did it carefully so as not to wake her up. Then I slid out of bed and quietly walked out of our bedroom. Of course, it was way easier to sneak out of our room than to pass Liam's bedroom, and passing the twins' bedroom without them waking up or noticing was nearly mission impossible. Fortunately, none of them decided to wake up at six in the morning on Saturday, and two minutes later, I successfully entered the kitchen. Usually, this place belonged to Sarah. It wa
I vaguely recalled what had happened in the last few hours. I remember Jun calling my name as he all but tore me away from Alex, taking over the reanimation until the paramedics appeared. Then the words “temporary stable” rang in my head as they transported Alex to the hospital in Nassau. I refused to leave his side. I held his hand almost until he had been taken to the operating room. Philip and Jun dragged me away so that doctors could patch me, even though I said I didn't need it. They insisted, and Jun might have even said something about knocking me out if I'd refused. The doctors asked me if I needed painkillers. When I said I wasn't sure, they asked me if I needed something to soothe my nerves. I took neither. I didn't want anything that could dull my senses as I waited for Alex's operation to be over. The surgeon said that the bullet vaguely missed the heart but also that removing it would be complicated. Still, there was a chance. There was hope that he would survive. He had
I heard two gunshots, yet there was no pain. Well, there was no new kind of pain, and I could feel the heart pounding in my chest… But dead people shouldn't have a heartbeat, should they? My mind was struggling to process what was happening. My eyes snapped open just in time to see two guards fall to the ground, exposing the one who stood on the threshold. Alex.My breath caught in my throat as our eyes met, but my relief lasted less than a second. In my peripheral vision, I saw Lucius reaching for his gun and shifting his stance to shoot. “No!” I screamed for a split second before he aimed his gun at Alex and pulled the trigger.Alex leaped into the corridor and hid behind the door. “Sarah, get down!” he thundered, and that was what I did. I jumped to the side before Lucius could grab me and use me as a shield, and I dove behind the bed, lying face-down on the floor. Lucius roared like a wild animal, and more shots came. “I'll kill you, Ravenford!” he bellowed.I flinched every time
SARAHThree days passed since I had woken up in my luxurious prison. My ribs still hurt, but at least I could move on my own… more or less. The bruises I found all over my body were slowly fading. The worst were those on my shoulder, which, according to Lucius, had been dislocated. Once the mass of sedatives and painkillers left my system, the pain had become almost unbearable, but now I learned to function despite it.Lucius had been showing up in my room at least three times a day. Each time, he brought me food or snacks. It might have been his twisted definition of caring about me. Never had he raised his voice on me, but I knew better than to trust his fragile kindness. The cold glow in his eyes remained, and the smiles he had often given me betrayed cruelty. I couldn't let my guard down around him. I had to put on my best act, even though his slightest touch filled me with sheer disgust. It terrified me that he became more daring. He enjoyed tracing every bruise on my neck and sh
ALEXI was sitting in my office and trying to focus my eyes on the screen. My current struggle had nothing to do with Ravenford Corporation. I was tracing the old metro plans, hoping to find that one place we had missed.“You shouldn't stay here all night again.” Grayson sighed before grabbing a chair and sitting in front of my desk. “Staring at those plans won't bring her back.”“She is not dead, Grayson,” I hissed.“You don't know that,” he argued but raised his hands in surrender as soon as he met my glare.“I know that because we haven't found her body.” Anger raised the volume of my voice, but that only made Grayson look at me with more pity.“If you're convinced that she's not dead, then why not call off the search inside the tunnels?” His brows rose. “It has been more than a week now. Even if she survived the fall, she must have been injured and lying there alone—”“Shut. The fuck. Up.” The knuckles in my fisted hands bleached.“I don't want to see you torture yourself,” he sai
SARAHI heard myself drawing a breath into my lungs. It was a wheezing sound, and the movement of my chest came with a great deal of pain. Then I heard something else—voices. I couldn't understand what they were saying… It was… Chinese?The realization triggered an alarm that spread throughout my aching body. Fear clung around me tightly, forming a thick, almost material cover, nearly as real as the sheets on my body. Then I heard one voice I recognized. The sound doubled the terror consuming me. Lucius. He and someone else were arguing about… something. Their voices were raised, their edges sharp, their tones cold…I opened my eyes and blinked, trying to adjust my sight, but it remained blurry no matter how hard I tried to focus. I struggled for another few seconds before I could see more clearly. Wherever I was, it looked like an enormous bedroom. The bed I was lying in was double the size I had in my penthouse. A huge window was several feet to the left of the bed, and the palm tre
The outer corridor had been completely annihilated by the explosives, and more than four of our men had lost their lives. Their bloodied bodies lay close enough for some of the guests to see, and the cries and screams became unstoppable in seconds. The alarms went off, and an automated steel shield quickly covered every glass wall. At the same time, the recorded voice announced that the main hall had been secured and separated until the situation was under control. That, of course, didn't lessen the panic devouring almost everyone inside.My eyes shifted to Sarah and Liam. They were still standing on the round podium in the middle of the hall while some of the terrified guests ran in every direction, ineptly trying to find the way out, as if it weren't obvious that they could get shot if they did. Sarah hugged Liam tightly, moving to the center of the dais, trying to stay away from the crowd of panicked people. My first instinct was to get them far away from that podium, but with the
ALEXI was sitting by my desk, rubbing my thumb over my still-swollen knuckles. Well, that's what you get after punching the wall hard enough to stain it with your blood. Let's just say that I hadn't taken the news about Natasha Collins well. Not only did she betray our family—the family she had been working for for years—but she had nearly killed my grandmother. Perhaps it was fortunate that it was Sarah and her bodyguards who exposed her. If it had been me, I would have snapped her neck before I could have willed myself to exhibit reasonable behavior.“I thought you would be celebrating.” Grayson eyed me as he entered my office. “With all the accusations, the Duncans will sure as hell end up in jail.”“They found Marisol Martinez dead this morning. Someone slit her throat,” I said, rubbing my knuckles again as I struggled to contain my rising anger. “It's obvious to think that someone did it to silence her, but I somehow doubt that Gregory Duncan was behind this. Her testimony would
“I still can't believe that I can officially meet with Alex without hiding,” I said softly, holding Eleonor's hand. “Of course, that doesn't mean that everything's OK between us, but I cannot deny that he's trying.” I couldn't stop the smile from parting my lips as I thought of all the roses he had sent to my apartment. I was probably blushing, and Eleonor would have laughed if she had seen me looking like this… I missed her laugh and her remarks. Every day, I prayed that she would finally wake up. My chest tightened at the thought that she might never—No. I couldn't think about it. She was going to wake up. I had to believe she would. I sucked in a shaky breath and cleared my throat. “Anyway,” I continued. “Alex officially announced that he and Jeanette Duncan are no longer engaged. He said that they parted due to insurmountable differences. That, of course, doesn't change the fact that Jeanette is pregnant and that the child is Alex's.” I sighed and brushed a strand of hair off Ele