"So, where do I need to drop you off?" I asked as Alice was busy strapping her katana belt on her shoulder.Alice glanced at me for a moment, this time she smiled, a genuine smile at me. For a moment, I couldn't take my eyes off her face. Alice turned around and walked towards the basement exit door. I blinked, looking at her back as she walked away, "Alice, wait-"I walked out of my car while cursing as Alice walked faster."Alice!"But she didn't stop or even look back. I ran after her while she disappeared from behind the basement exit door. The sound of cars and honking greeted me on the street. But she was gone. There were only a few pedestrians, and none of them carried a samurai sword on their back. I stood there for five full minutes looking at the entire street around my apartment, but she disappeared into thin air.I smiled to myself and walked back into the basement. At least this time I knew her name.***For a week, the Crossfire Tracking Device had kept me busy with its f
Two full days...For forty-eight hours, I tried to find out and track his whereabouts. But there wasn't a single clue leading to him. I had checked everything related to him, even asking for Dean's help to track him. After finding the initials left in his encryption program, I decided to postpone the first CTD launch for a week.Tonight is the Crossfire Inc. charity night. An annual event held to raise charitable funds that will later be distributed to various charity organizations owned by Crossfire Inc.As the CEO, I have to attend it with Mr. Oswealth, who is the organizer. This is the only upscale social event that I regularly attend.Or rather, I am obliged to attend.I don't mind events like this, except for the first two hours. Socializing with the upper class is not my favorite job. Their conversations always revolve around money, sports cars, botox, gossip, and other things that almost make me think that spending time with Humbert Bale would be better."Mr. Lancaster!" a scree
Returning with two glasses of champagne, one for myself and one for Alice of course, I noticed Nicholas Shaw was no longer in his previous spot. Only Alice remained, glancing at me faintly. She took a glass from my hand and drank as we engaged in conversation.“Your name isn’t Alice?” I mumbled.Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “Not really important, is it?”For me, I thought before sipping my own glass, it was. "My name is Anya, but it’s just a pseudonym." She sipped her champagne again, looking a bit different."Different from usual? Not sitting and full of bruises?”She chuckled, making me slightly surprised. I didn’t know she could laugh. “You’re different as well,” I mumbled.Right as she was about to open her mouth to reply, a loud clink caught both of our attention. Reluctantly, I shifted my gaze away from her, following her line of sight. A butler stood on a small podium, announcing that dinner would begin shortly.I glanced back at Alice. "You can join me at my table," I offered.
"Did you get it?"This morning, I visited Paul and Dean's office. After last night, I realized that I still had no information about Alice. None at all.I didn't have a chance to ask her directly last night, or rather, I don't remember. Like most men, my brain stops working when I'm near a beautiful woman. Plus, I doubt she would answer my question. So, I hoped that Dean would get some information about her.Dean yawned in his seat, while Paul hadn't arrived yet. It was still 7 in the morning."No, the bug isn't harmful," he replied while yawning again. Sometimes, I think Dean lives in the office, and I think my guess is right."I need information about the owner, I don't care about the bug," I replied, leaning against the door."Well, you know getting it won't be easy, Lancaster," he replied sarcastically. I could clearly see the bags under his eyes."Rest, Dean. You need it," I muttered before leaving his office.I tried to focus all my attention on the Crossfire Tracking Device pro
"That was part of the plan," she replied, taking her katana and walking past me. "I'll explain it to you on the way."For a moment, I wanted to pull her back and shake her until she stopped playing games and started explaining all of this. Someone had just shot at us, and she was saying it was all part of her plan?The psycho alarm in my head went off again. 'Psycho, Luke! This woman is psycho!'"Are you coming?" she turned with a questioning look. But her face didn't look psycho.Without answering her, I followed her to the elevator. Being alone with a beautiful woman in a small space shouldn't make me nervous. I've never felt nervous in any situation.But tonight was different. No, it's always different with Alice.I ignored my heart beating faster and searched for a more reasonable explanation. Maybe it's just the adrenaline rush after seeing someone shoot at my car. Yeah, that's it."They never tried to kill me before," I muttered as we walked to the basement."Because they're not
I never expected Alice to live in a place like this. The apartment looks old and... uncared for. We even had to take the regular stairs since the building's old elevator is broken. Yet I pay her thousands of dollars for her services every time I need saving, I thought while following her up to the 5th floor."You know... my apartment is safer than this place," I said again as Alice opened the door with a regular key."Your apartment is too flashy," she replied shortly.Even though I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on my apartment and its security system. I half-heartedly followed Alice into her apartment.Its simple and neutral interior really suits the owner's personality.The dull white walls were adorned with a few flower paintings, and the only striking color in the room was the fuchsia sofa in the middle.And it seemed like Alice didn't have a TV, but rather several large bookshelves covering part of the walls. On one side of the room, a desk with a sophisticated computer
Night had fallen when we left his apartment building. Riding in his Prius, we followed the GPS indicating Erik's current location. I recognized the area; the abandoned factory had been in dispute for the past eight years and I knew it because Crossfire Inc. had considered buying it a few years ago. It started to rain as we neared our destination, and Alice had been silent since we left, making the atmosphere awkward. Especially when I remembered the incident half an hour ago..."You have to turn right at the next intersection," I murmured beside her. She just nodded slightly in response."So, who is Erik?" I asked to start a conversation."Someone," she replied curtly."He's not your boyfriend, nor your family. So, is he your friend?" I bombarded her to push her.Alice smiled thinly at my question. "I don't have friends," she uttered."Is Erik also at the same place as me?"My question made her glance at me for a split second."The same place?""Not your boyfriend, family, or friend,"
The black-eyed man shouted in Russian, a long string of curses that I didn't understand. Alice responded with a calm and...bored expression. Only she could maintain such a demeanor in the midst of this situation."Where is Eirik?" Alice calmly asked, ignoring the black-eyed man's profanity."He's with Carleon!" the black-eyed man replied with a heavy Russian accent."So Carleon is really here," Alice muttered, her previously calm expression fading into a cold one. "For what?" she continued slowly."Not for you," the black-eyed man replied before spitting to the side.Alice raised her katana towards the man, blood still dripping from the tip."If that's the case, then for whom?"The black-eyed man looked at her with full of hatred, making me shiver a bit. "For him," he replied, pointing at me without looking at me, his gaze still fixed on Alice.Eh? So he had known about me from the beginning. How pathetic."And for Shaw," he added suddenly."...so Gregory," Alice's words were inaudibl
My body shivered with desire at the sound of Nick's sharp voice. He grabbed my hair and pulled me back onto the bed, facing him again.His blue eyes gleamed with lust, but I'm sure my own eyes looked just as desperate.One of his hands gripped my shirt. "I'm sorry if I ruin your clothes, Eleanor," he murmured, his voice strained. I wanted to laugh, my husband was still apologizing in a situation like this. The ticklish feeling disappeared quickly as he pulled off my shirt, scattering it around me.He undressed me until I was left in just my bra and panties. His satisfied gaze on my body only fueled the fire within me. The air in the room felt thin. No matter how hard my lungs worked, I couldn't breathe normally.He lowered his face and kissed me passionately, while one hand slipped around to my back to unhook my bra. In an instant, my bra was thrown to the corner of the room, and his warm, large hands cupped my breasts.The sensation of his touch sent waves of pleasure throughout my b
I'm not sure how much time has passed. After our last conversation, Dostov said he would check on Lana and the others downstairs because he was afraid the blood cleansing process wasn't finished, so he asked me to wait in his apartment.Our previous conversation kept repeating in my head. But no matter how frustrated and worried I am now, in the end, Dostov's words are the ones that prevail in my mind. I can't change the future, even if I were to know it. All I can do is hope and pray that what Dostov saw won't happen in the future.Suddenly, the door to Dostov's apartment opens again. But it's Nick's face that appears behind it. I stand up to greet him, but both of us freeze upon realizing something. His previously warm gaze turns cold instantly. "Eleanor... Why do I smell Alastair's blood on you?" he asks as he takes a step closer to me.Damn, I forgot about Alastair's blood."Nick, I didn't realize the blood I drank was Alastair's," I explain, stepping back to distance myself from
They stared at each other for a few minutes, silently."Whose blood is it?" I asked, hoping to hear his answer.He grimaced again. "Nicholas will be later. But right now, there's nothing more effective than Volder Ella's blood."I couldn't help but feel familiar with that scent, my body already recognizing it without Dostov confirming it. Nicholas will definitely be furious later. "Ugh, Dostov," I grumbled, closing my eyes in frustration."Don't worry, he won't be mad at you. Plus, by tonight, Alastair's scent on you will fade away... with Nicholas." He sighed and shifted his gaze to the bookshelf in the room.I glared at him and sighed. His intention was good, to free me from the torment of blood lust as soon as possible, but I was still annoyed because he didn't warn me earlier. "Are you better now? Do you want blood again?" I replied curtly."Not blood again, just another blood. Not Alastair's blood," he mumbled, still looking slightly guilty with his college kid face. The frustrat
Carleon's anger and terror were evident as he whispered in disbelief, "No, Dostov, you promised me!" He tried to stand up, but Nick pushed him back down with his foot, causing him to fall by Dostov's feet again. "Carleon, consider this as you redeeming yourself for your sins all this time," Dostov said calmly. "Isn't now the right time to make amends for everything?" He whispered softly, looking down at the side of his foot. "Vlad will retaliate against you!" Carleon shouted in anger. Dostov stared at him expressionlessly. "Haven't you realized yet? Vlad has abandoned you. He knows about your plan to form your own clan. Isn't that why you were looking for the newborn Valkyrie? To gather power and break free from Vlad?" "No..." Carleon shook his head. "Dostov... You've set me up." His voice sounded shocked and trembling. Nick, who had been observing Carleon, now looked up in surprise at Dostov. "Nicholas, you should take him away. Gregory and Lana must be waiting," Dostov continue
I didn't have time to see what happened next because Volder pulled me and slammed me onto the carpet, causing my back to hit the floor hard. I quickly rolled to the side to avoid his black hands and long nails that were about to slash me.I stood up and approached the baby doll with one hand while Volder, the man in front of me, hissed angrily. He lunged at me, aiming for the baby doll I was holding, but once again I managed to dodge him. I couldn't see where I was going because all my focus was on Volder in front of me, but the sounds around me were chaotic."Don't you dare touch me," I hissed angrily, showing my own fangs. Volder smirked mockingly and lunged towards me. I tried to dodge him again, but one of his hands managed to grab my long hair and yank it forcefully, pulling my body towards him. I tried to fight back with one hand, but he yanked my hair down again and slammed his knee into my head with great force.He threw me to the floor again and reached for the bundle I was h
Chapter 132 It felt like a wave of icy water washed over my body as I heard Carleon's last question. Carleon. Nick and I looked at Dostov simultaneously, who still appeared calm. Dostov was the one who spread those rumors? I thought with horror, but Alice had said that Dostov wasn't the one responsible. On the other hand, Nick just observed both of them, even though he usually easily succumbed to anger when it involved our children. "This is the second time I'm warning you, Carleon. I'm not in the mood for small talk. If you can't respect my request, you should leave my territory quickly." Then Dostov turned to us, though he quickly winked one eye at me. The tension in my shoulders eased. Dostov walked back to his seat and sat down. "Ah, forgive me once again. I just wanted to see the reactions of the new members of your clan who are present here. Consider it as me helping you test their loyalty to you," Carleon continued. So his previous question was a provocation for us... "If
I could hear the pounding of my own heart. We walked side by side. Alice separated herself from us, as she was planning to enter after Dostov finished speaking. I had heard stories about Carleon from Greg and Lana, who had met him directly. As Vlad's right-hand man, he was incredibly loyal and always carried out his duties perfectly. According to Nick's stories, Vlad never intervened directly or displayed his powers openly because everything was done by Carleon and his subordinates. I had to remind myself repeatedly that we were safe and under the protection of the Dostov clan. We entered the ballroom of the headquarters accompanied by around eight members of other clans. However, Carleon's entourage had not yet appeared; it seemed they were still in the elevator as this headquarters was located on the top three floors of this hotel building. Dostov sat in his chair casually, wearing a yellow hoodie that contrasted with the black robe we were wearing. We stood around his chair sile
The day we have been waiting for has finally arrived. As planned, we all gathered at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at ten in the morning. Dostov would receive Carleon in the same ballroom as our honorary clan acceptance ceremony yesterday.If Carleon does indeed come today, then some clan members designated by Dostov will also be present as witnesses, although we are also sure that Carleon will not come here alone.While I am nervous, there is someone much more nervous than me at the moment. Lana's face has been pale since we met this morning, and Greg hasn't let go of her embrace. I'm sure Greg's feelings right now aren't doing well either, but he hides his worries very well behind a calm and normal expression on his face.We have to separate to discuss what we need to do later. Greg, Lana, and Luke are waiting in one of the rooms directly connected to the ballroom. Meanwhile, me, Nick, Dostov, and Alice are talking in another room that is more private.Other clan members are waiting in
Chapter 129Dostov informed us to evacuate Elliot and Rosie from Manhattan as soon as possible, so today we planned to leave for San Francisco.Sebastian and Ludmila Moran... I don't remember them very well because we only met once, that too when I was still human. The only thing I remember from that night is Greg's confession that he was the one who bit me six months ago.But as far as I remember, the husband and wife seemed friendly and accepting of me back then, and most importantly, Nick trusted them.We had to hire a private jet because... of course, because of Elliot. He couldn't stop saying "yum yum" to every human he met. Even Nick noticed Elliot's strange behavior at the Waldorf Astoria hotel last night. We were also afraid that Elliot would show his little fangs to everyone if we took a regular plane.Almost a year and a half has passed since I moved to Manhattan, but San Francisco still looks the same. Strangely, I don't miss this place at all, even though I lived in this c