My heart hammered as Killian and I followed Adeline to her study. She walked a few steps in front of us. Her wavy ginger hair fell from side to side as she confidently strode through the long corridor in her four-inch heels. Her black fitted dress hugged her every curve, emphasizing her beauty and elegance. I wished I could have a mere percentage of that gracefulness at her age… Or, rather, I wouldn't mind having a sliver of it right now. That woman oozed power while I rattled with each step I took. Had I made a mistake by agreeing to talk to her? I would soon find out.I drew a shaky breath. Killian was supposed to be the one who talked. I was supposed to be the one who listened, smiled, and nodded. Now it looked like I would be forced to tell Adeline our story myself—the story I had yet to figure out.I glanced at my fake boyfriend and instantly felt the rage vibrating from his body. His jaw was clenched, his eyes fixed on his mother's back. He resembled a tiger seconds before attac
KILLIAN“Your mother doesn't believe us,” was all Josie said when she exited my mother's study.She was pale, her hands were trembling, and it was clear my mother had done something to intimidate her, but no matter how many times I asked, she remained silent. She stayed that way—silent and pale—on the way back to the penthouse.“I knew I shouldn't have left you there alone with her.” I dragged my hand down my face and cursed.“She would have found another way to meet with me then,” Josie murmured, staring blankly through the side window.I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Talk to me, Josie. I need to know everything she told you.”Her throat worked on a swallow. “Please… not now.” She glanced at the driver and then returned to staring through the window.I hated not knowing, but I understood she might not feel comfortable here. I could press the button and pull up the privacy glass, but I doubted she kept silent only because of the driver.Her state didn't improve after we returned
JOSIEThis moment had to come. I knew that one day I would have to release all my hidden nightmares and face them. I hoped for a gentle approach, like when you enter a cold lake, taking slow, cautious steps while breathing deeply to get used to the temperature. Right now, I felt as if someone pushed me into the deep and icy sea, and I struggled to keep my head above the surface.Adeline's ultimatum gave me only one option: I had to tell Killian the whole truth. I wasn't sure I could do it. Even admitting what needed to be done sent chills down my spine. He hadn't believed my words before. How could I assume he wouldn't trust the rumors instead of trusting me?I'd been having nightmares for three days now, and each time they appeared, I saw my father's mortified face. I saw him kneeling in front of the police officers, convincing them all the accusations were wrong. And then my mind viciously displayed the scenes from that night he had fallen to the ground, slowly becoming lifeless.I
KILLIANTony's words swirled in my head long after our call had ended. A few rumors had ruined Josie's life and even led to her father's death. Tony tried to find the source of those rumors, but even with his skills, he found no evidence. It was obvious that someone must have worked hard to cover it, which only confirmed my suspicions that the rumors had come from one of the students at my old high school.The high school I went to wasn't just an ordinary private school. That particular one, Flower Hills Private High School, had been founded by my grandfather, Joshua Blair. All the students there were either rich, powerful, brilliant, or all three at once. Of course, that filled the school with rich assholes—mostly dumb assholes—but the school also had a scholarship program. Josie was one of the brilliant kids who received the full scholarship, while I was one of the assholes who practically owned that school.My friends' parents were either wealthy owners of various companies, invest
JOSIEI woke up on a bed in a bright room that sure as hell wasn't my bedroom. I drew a deep breath, and my nostrils were instantly hit by an unfortunately-recognizable scent of antiseptics. Hospital. This was a hospital room. I blinked a few more times before my sight finally adjusted to the brightness. Someone's warm hand touched mine, and my whole body jolted.“It's OK, Josie.” Killian's deep voice soothed my sudden anxiety. My eyes turned to the side of the bed, and my heart lurched.He was wearing a white button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves, no suit jacket or tie. His hair was ruffled, and his chin was coated by gentle stubble. Was he here while I was unconscious? Was he… watching over me?He reached for my hand again, his fingers delicately tracing the lines on my palm. “You're safe. He's not going to hurt you.”He… Dylan. His face instantly appeared in my mind. I could hear his vicious laughter as he choked me, as he was trying to kill me. My hand drifted to my neck, and I f
Us. This one word sounded surreal. Dylan was my ex-boyfriend and was supposed to be my problem, but somehow, I knew that Killian would never leave me alone with this mess. Of course, I was well aware of the fact he hated Mr. Grant Ricardson's guts. He would have never missed an opportunity to crush him. Still, he was mainly engaging in all this for me…Killian told me to focus on my recovery while he and Mr. Morgan were going to prepare us to battle against Dylan and Mr. Ricardson. I tried to object, but I also knew I was no help in my current state. Unfortunately, this case came up at the worst possible moment. I still had to find the right time to tell Killian about my past before Adeline made her move, and the clock was ticking…“Maybe you should call him and tell him you need to talk,” Ashley suggested. With Killian busy talking to his lawyers about the potential strategies, I constantly had the twins or someone from my team visiting me in the hospital.I shook my head. “I can't i
A gentle stroke on my cheek woke me up. I opened my eyes, slowly adjusting my sight to the dim light of Killian's bedroom. He was standing by the bed, doing the buttons on his shirt and smiling at me.“What time is it?” My hoarse sleepy voice was barely louder than a whisper.“It's almost six. I need to go to the office. I would have let you sleep, but I didn't want you to wake up in an empty room,” he said a little nervously. “Of course, you can go back to sleep and—”“No.” I lifted myself to sit. “I planned to go to the office today anyway. I may as well go with you.”His brows knitted. “Are you sure? You don't have to go back so soon.”I sucked in a breath. “I do. My team members count on me, and I want our presentation to be ready by the end of the next week.”He nodded, processing my words. “All right. I'll make us breakfast. Can you get ready in thirty minutes?”A wide smile spread across my face. “That's more than I need.”I dragged myself from the bed and rushed to my bathroom
KILLIANJosie's chest rose and fell as she stared at me. A glossy layer of tears coated her eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured, lowering her head.I grabbed her chin, lifting it until our eyes leveled. “Tell me about everything that happened after I left for England.”She bit her lower lip and nodded. Her trembling hand reached for the glass, and she took a few greedy gulps before putting the glass away. “Actually, I'd like to start my story a little earlier... You should know what happened after I saw you in that classroom with your girlfriend.”I didn't want to go back that far, but I realized it was time I finally heard her version of the story. I drew a deep breath and nodded. “Fine. Tell me.”She cleared her throat. “Despite what you believed back then, I was too embarrassed to tell anyone about what I saw. I kept it to myself, but…” She trailed off, nibbling on her lip.“But?” I urged.Her eyes met mine. “The next day, a girl I didn't know caught me when I was walking to my class.