Veronica told me a little more about her life and her passion for art. Then she shared how she met her husband and how she was too naïve and in love to notice all the red flags before it was too late. In return, I told her about my studies, my unfortunate relationship with Dylan, and how it all ended. She was easy to talk to, and I only noticed time passing when the sun above our heads began to set.“So… Josephine Clairmont, tell me about your ambitions.” Veronica grinned, refilling my flute with more champagne.I smiled wryly. “I don't think I have any.”“I think you do,” she said, squinting her eyes at me. “You just never admitted you have them. Fortunately, you don't have to be shy in front of me. So take a deep breath, think for a minute, and then tell me, if you could do anything you desire, what would it be? Would you like to create apps and games for the rest of your life?” When I shook my head, she laughed. “Then what would you want to do?”I did as she said and drew a deep br
Kaiden's hazel eyes locked on mine, and his lips curved into a smug smirk. “Josie? Have you watched my fight?”“I…” All the words seemed to freeze in my throat.The eyes of the entire group landed on me, and a wave of soft giggles and muttering spread around the room. Kaiden stepped closer, his smile widening. My instincts told me to flee, but as soon as I inched back, I crashed against someone standing behind me. Before I could think of another way to escape, Kaiden grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the crowd.“What are you doing?!” I whisper-yelled as he pulled my hand, leading me to the other side of the gym room. I gasped as he opened the dressing room and pushed me inside. He joined me there before I regained my footing. Then he closed the door behind us.“Now we can talk.” He chuckled.My heart lurched. This place was the size of my walk-in closet, and I had a rather small walk-in closet in my apartment. Kaiden easily filled half of the space, forcing me against the wall
The car stopped in front of the two-story red-brick building. It took me a moment to notice a restaurant sign since it was nearly entirely covered by densely growing ivy. From the outside, this place seemed almost abandoned, but the inside greeted us with tasteful art deco.I peered over the crowded restaurant without a single empty table in sight. Then I looked at Kaiden, but he only smirked and grabbed my hand, leading me toward the stairs. I drew a deep breath as we climbed four flights. “I apologize for the inconvenience,” he said, glancing at my shoes, “but the view and privacy are worth it.”A moment later, we found ourselves on the roof, where a single table set for two awaited. The roof was filled with all kinds of plants and illuminated by delicate garlands, hanging a few feet above the table. I stepped toward the edge of the roof, surrounded by the glass fence, and gasped as I looked at the night sky. If it had been Killian who had taken me here, I would have called it a pla
“So? What did you say?” Ashley's voice boomed through the phone speaker. I called her as soon as I'd returned home from my odd dinner with Kaiden, and, apparently, I immediately became her source of entertainment.I huffed. “What do you think I said? I told him no.” I unzipped my dress and peeled it off of me.“His offer wasn't entirely stupid, though,” she mused. “As Kaiden Blair's girlfriend, you would become untouchable.”I considered her words and shook my head. “Killian doesn't trust Kaiden, and Killian would lose it if I told him his cousin would act as my boyfriend from now on.”“Then maybe he should reconsider his decisions because I think they can only put you in more danger,” she said dryly. “You could also tell Killian the truth about that girl who died in a so-called accident. What was her name?”“Ciara,” I answered. “And I can't tell Killian anything. I promised Kaiden I wouldn't.”Ashley groaned. “Men and their stupid egos!”I chuckled. “Right? Maybe if they just talked
KILLIANI looked into Josie's eyes and saw the pain slowly crawling out to the surface. Guilt tightened my chest. I hated to see her hurt. I hated being the cause of it. “I'm sorry,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I promise this won't go any further. This engagement will remain as empty as the media announcements.”She sealed her lips and nodded. “I trust you,” she whispered, lowering slightly and placing her head on my chest.I turned to lie on my back so I could accommodate her better, closing my arms around her. “I didn't want this. I tried to stop it… or delay it at least, and I even thought I managed to convince my father… But then Yan Hao called him, and it was as if he had been given an order.” I ground my teeth as I recalled the scene.Josie lifted her head and gave me a rather bitter smile. “I bet that Estelle was thrilled to hear the news.”I tilted my head back, groaning. “You have no idea... Her dumb minions organized a press conference in the main hall of t
I was sitting by the long table set on the dais. Several microphones were aimed at me like weapons. I had never felt any kind of discomfort while facing reporters and answering their questions… until now. The scene seemed almost familiar—this setting, the crowd of agitated reporters sitting in front of the podium, their anticipation satiating the air inside the hall. The only thing that didn't seem to fit was the woman sitting next to me—Estelle.I twisted in my seat, slowly scanning the beam stretching her red-tinted lips, the ridiculous cleavage that almost made her seem desperate for attention, and the large sparkling diamond on her finger. I had nothing to do with the ring, and I could only guess she either bought it herself or it was a gift from my father to help the false story look more “natural.”I kept my hands in front of me, fingers intertwined. I saw Estelle giving me a meaningful glance before clearing her throat. “Your hand,” she grunted.“What about it?” I strained thro
JOSIEThe plan was to avoid every single piece of information about Killian's and Estelle's press conference. I even refused to go to the cafeteria and hear other employees comment on their boss and his newest fiancée. Unfortunately, my plan failed when the coffee machine died, and I was forced to get my coffee from the Marketing Department floor.“I barely stifled a laugh.” A woman's voice came from the other side of the corridor. “Mr. Blair sat there with an emotionless expression while Ms. Yan struggled to convince everyone that they love each other. She looked sooo pathetic!”Another woman giggled. “I almost felt sorry for her.”“Yeah, me too. And have you seen the ring on her finger?” The first one snorted.“No one could have missed it. The diamond was so large, it's probably tragically uncomfortable to wear.”I cursed under my breath as I picked the coffee and waited for the machine to fill my cup. I wished that those two women could go somewhere else or lower their voices, but o
KILLIANIt was restlessness that slowly spread through my veins and tensed my muscles. I was on my feet before I realized it, unconsciously entering the elevator car and pressing Josie's floor button. I should have stayed away from the place where I could find her, but I couldn't, not this time. Thanks to one of my trusted security guards, I knew that Josie was still working despite the late hour. That alone wouldn't have put me on high alert, but the fact that Estelle had entered the building had.I had waited for a few minutes—long enough for Estelle to get from the entrance hall to my office—but she hadn't come. That could only mean she'd been visiting someone else, and I knew exactly where she'd gone.I passed the long corridor as my heart hammered against my ribcage. I heard the sound of a slamming door—the sound that came from around the corner. I cursed under my breath as I realized it could have come from Josie's office. A few heartbeats later, Estelle appeared in my part of t
Four Years LaterYan Hao, Estelle, and Isabelle had become nothing more than a bad memory. Lou Zichen had been quickly convicted and sent to prison. Estelle and Isabelle landed behind bars six months later. The remains of Yan Hao's army and all his collaborators had been caught one by one. Special Agent Brooks made sure they all ended where they belonged. As if sensing there was no more danger around us, Aria, our beautiful daughter, was born a day after the final trial ended.My once filled with dread and nightmares life had become nearly blissful. Certainly, large areas had needed to be rebuilt, but Killian and I had pieced it back together. I had never returned to Blair Digital. After a year, Blair Digital merged with Tony's company, becoming Blair & Melton Interactive. Killian and Kaiden had recreated the Blair Consortium, making it twice as profitable as before. Of course, they both had wanted me to work for the consortium, assuring me I would find a place there. I'd refused. Inst
Killian didn't like my decision. He'd spent hours trying to make me change my mind, but I knew that this was the only way to end this. Since my leading doctor refused to let me out of the hospital, my team moved into my room, computers and other tech gear included. Killian brought me a laptop table so I could work while lying in bed. Well, at least I wasn't breaking the doctor's orders, not entirely.In two days, we managed to add over fifty more locations to the Eye. We focused on private airports, harbors, and train stations. Then we slowly began to plug as many traffic cameras as we could. The area watched by the Eye extended its range with every second, but it still wasn't enough to find Yan Hao.“Ryuu should have helped us search for his former boss,” Ashley grunted, her eyes locked on the computer screen.I let out a long sigh. “Ryuu has done enough. I cannot blame him that he took his mother and left. Now they can be family again.”Ashley shook her head. “Still, he should have—
JOSIEHe had come for me. He had found me. I remembered his lips on mine. I remembered a vague smile curving his lips. I remembered my voice cracking. I remembered the tears mixed with laughter… Then the sounds and images became blurry. Killian's voice softened and faded.I must have fainted afterward.Returning to awareness was followed by the pain. It pulsed through different parts of my body, but it didn't bother me that much. Perhaps I owed it to painkillers, or perhaps I felt that way because I knew I was safe.Despite the ache, my lips curled up slightly as I opened my eyes. I was lying in bed—a hospital bed—covered with soft sheets. A drip was connected to my arm, most likely the reason the pain I felt was almost acceptable. But none of that put a smile on my face or filled my chest with warmth. Killian's touch did it.He was sitting by my bed, his hand holding mine. His head rested next to our joined hands, his eyes closed. I slowly rose to sit, carefully not to move my hand o
After carefully analyzing the route and comparing it with the plans Tony had found before, we continued through the woods according to Ryuu's instructions. We climbed a small hill and finally saw it—a ten-foot-tall barbed wire fence with watch towers.“Son of a bitch,” Kaiden breathed out as his eyes took in the ridiculously well-guarded facility. “I've seen prisons with less security.”My lips formed a thin line. “Well, now we know for sure that the tunnels are the only way in.”I contacted Gunner and the rest of the groups searching other areas, informing them of what we found. I looked at my watch, and my stomach churned. We had less than twenty minutes, and that was only if Yan Hao decided to stick to his own rules. A part of me knew he might choose to kill Josie sooner...My chest tightened at the thought. I needed to get inside. I needed to find her. Now. “How long until you get here?” A low growl rang in my tone.“Three minutes,” Gunner replied, panting. I knew that he was prob
KILLIANThree Hours EarlierThe Happy App, Josie's creation, no longer existed. Yan Hao must have gotten desperate to get money, and he most likely forced some poor bastard to hack the system, using all means necessary. As Ashley and Kei explained to me, the hacker had entered the system thanks to a small device planted in the server room. Of course, that meant someone from Yan Hao's army must have broken into Blair Digital... I made a mental note to fire the head of security upon hearing the news.This attack might have ended in a huge disaster. I didn't even want to imagine the chaos such a monstrous leak of data could have caused. Certainly, Josie had created a drastic solution in case everything went south. She anticipated the worst scenario. She might have sacrificed her dearest creation, but she sure as fuck saved the entire company.I loved her for it... and for many other reasons... and perhaps a few more I still couldn't remember. Now I could only hope the rest of my memories
My body began to rattle as I stared at Ryuu. Again, his expression was unreadable. Was it just a part of an act, an improvised solution, or did he decide not to respect the deal we made?“You bastard,” I breathed out.Ryuu responded with a cold smirk. “We both know Killian will do anything to have you both back... alive. Let's make him hope he'll get to see you again.”Yan Hao looked at me before bursting into cold, disgusting laughter. “Then should we let history repeat itself? Should I let him pay a generous amount of money before slitting your throat? It would be quite poetic, don't you think? Like father like son. Maxwell Blair thought he was saving his brother... I bet that his son will pay just as eagerly.”A shudder rushed through my body, and my eyes filled with tears. I didn't even know if Killian was conscious. They didn't know that either. Then again, this was a way to buy more time. If Yan Hao wanted Killian's money, he would need to wait for his answer, probably send proo
JOSIEI tried not to think about what was happening on the upper floors. I tried not to think about that arrogant hacker or that the Happy App might no longer exist had he decided to break into our system. Instead, I tried to make those hours count. I talked to Mrs. Satoh, slowly establishing her condition and if there was a chance either of us could escape her cell. The good news was that she wasn't cuffed or otherwise restrained; the bad news was that she had already tried everything, scaling the wall to find a single loose rock included. Well… shit.“So you've been talking to my son?” Mrs. Satoh's voice cracked slightly. “I haven't seen him for more than three years…”My chest tightened. “How long has Yan Hao held you captive?”“I lost track of time,” she murmured. “But I wasn't always locked in a cell like this. Sometimes, I was given a nice room. I was fed well too. My conditions changed depending on…” She trailed off, but I knew what she was about to say.“Depending on Ryuu's ob
KILLIANI stared at the large map displayed on the wall-size screen. The red dots marked the places where Yan Hao's men were recently seen—the possible places where they gathered. We had today's war meeting at Gunner's base, in his office. The base, seldom occupied by more than twenty people at a time, was currently filled with more than two hundred. We all could sense that Yan Hao had been preparing for his final strike, and we had to make sure we could respond to whatever he came up with.The door opened, and Samuel Brooks entered the room. The FBI agent gave Gunner, Kaiden, and me a tight smile before walking over to the map and stopping beside me. “Good to see you alive and well,” he muttered by way of greeting.“Good to be alive.” I smiled wryly.Gunner rose from his chair behind the desk and stepped toward us. “I hope you left your badge outside like I told you to, Brooks,” he warned, giving the agent a firm stare. “If you're not certain whether you'd like to be part of this, be
“What do we do now?” I choked out when Ryuu finally opened the bathroom to let me out.“We need to go.” He grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward the door.Panic surged in an instant. “I can't! I don't even know if the encrypted message passed! I didn't find your mother either!”Ryuu grabbed my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. “We don't have more time. If I don't bring you to Yan Hao now, we're both as good as dead.”I sucked in an uneven breath, ineptly trying to calm down and failing. “So... what will happen now?” I finally managed.He exhaled slowly and looked me up and down. “You'll have to lie, and you'll have to be very convincing. You'll have to put on your best act, as if your life depends on it because it will.”I swallowed a thick knot in my throat. “Tell me what to do,” I breathed out.“First of all, you'll have to act like you're disoriented,” he said. “A few people saw me when I carried you here. You'll have to pretend as if you were unconscious most of the t