JOSIEA part of me—a significantly large part of me—was glad that Kaiden returned nearly at dawn. That had given Killian and me a moment of needed privacy. I missed being in his arms. I missed his lips on mine. I missed his voice, whispering into my ear. I missed feeling his scent with each breath I took…He had lingered way longer than he should have, not to mention that he shouldn't have come to my room at all. Our parting had been harder than ever before. After my unfortunate encounter with Satoh Ryuu, I knew sleep wouldn't come easily. Killian had mentioned that this man was dangerous, but I had sensed that much already. He had made me promise I would try to stay away from him, but I had a feeling that avoiding him wasn't going to be easy.Finally, Killian kissed me goodnight and left. Thankfully, I had wiped all traces of his visit from the surveillance footage, so no one found out he had spent quite some time in my room. It half-surprised me no one noticed that the mansion's sec
A long line of curses crawled up my throat. I blocked all of them and offered Ryuu a thin-lipped smile. Once I was sure none of the curses were getting out, I drew a deep breath. “I'm sure you must be busy. I wouldn't want to—”“I have time. My meeting has just been canceled.” A lie, most likely.I smiled faintly. “Still, I'm certain you have far more interesting things to do than give me a tour.”He breathed out a laugh. “I hate to disappoint you, but there are not many interesting things you can do in this building. However, with the right company... ” His lips formed a sultry smile.My throat turned dry, but I kept my expression blank. The last thing I wanted was to show him my fear. “Mr. Wang was kind enough to show me all the corridors. I do, however, would love to learn more about your projects,” I said, locking my eyes on his.He held my stare as if he were testing me. It lasted a moment before his lips parted into a mischievous grin. “Follow me, Ms. Clairmont... Or should I ca
My stupid plan forced me to stay in the damn ladies' room for more than thirty minutes. I was certain that whoever Ryuu sent as his replacement was currently looking for me, but I decided I didn't care. This was far more important, so I was going to let him or her wait, even if I had to come up with a good lie to explain my absence, like having sudden diarrhea after eating too much chocolate cake…I pressed my ear against the door, realizing that I no longer heard any voices. “Finally,” I groaned before cautiously opening the door and stepping out of the ladies' room.I sighed in relief as I looked around and found the corridor empty. Now that the programmer and his friend were gone, I could only hope my phone was exactly where I'd left it. Pretending to admire the tall plant, I walked over to the pots, certain I looked absolutely ridiculous. Yet, I pushed my acting skills beyond my personal best, putting on a show for… absolutely no one but surveillance cameras and whoever might have
“Breathe, just breathe, Josie,” I muttered as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. This was not how I imagined a rescue mission, not that I had a particular idea of what rescue missions should have looked like. Yet, certainly, going out in full evening makeup, carefully styled hair, a long gown, and high-heel stilettos would have never been taken into consideration.“Trust me. The less they suspect, the better,” Kaiden had said after describing his plan.We needed a believable excuse to leave the residence, and a date at one of the best Hong Kong restaurants seemed perfect for that. Surely, Yan Hao would send a car to follow us and check where we were headed, but dressing up would not raise too many alerts. I didn't like this, especially the heels. I could barely walk wearing them, and in case we'd have to run...“Don't worry too much,” Kaiden muttered as he stood behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Everything is planned. We will stop in front of Yichen's apartment bui
“I told him... to trust me,” was all I was able to choke out as a thick stream of tears covered my face.Kaiden shifted, shielding me from the horrific sight. “It's not your fault,” he whispered, cupping my face and forcing me to look at him. “None of it is your fault.”I sucked in a ragged breath and wiped my tears away. In the corner of the room, I spotted two bags—his packed belongings. He was waiting for us, and we... we'd shown up too late.Careful not to leave any trails or bloodied footprints, Kaiden stepped around the body. Then he crouched down and touched Yichen's skin. “The body's turning cold. He's been most likely dead for a while.”My heart rose to my throat. “No… that's… that's impossible.” I stared at Kaiden, shaking my head. “H-he texted me back. He replied…”“Josie…” Kaiden sighed and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Anyone could send this text. They most likely took Yichen's phone, and—” His words drowned in the violent roar of police sirens.Our heads snapped towar
KILLIANEstelle and I were heading back to the residence after a rather silent so-called date. Yet another thing to keep some goddamned pretenses, to show our faces in public—together, as a couple. I was against this whole shit, but Estelle begged me—yes, literally begged me—to do it. She half-suggested there might have been consequences for her had she failed to convince me.An emotional blackmail, one I was utterly aware of, but I was also aware there was some truth to her words. As much as I hated this whole situation, I wouldn't want to be the reason she or her mother suffered. Then again, the thought of this fucking tyrant raising his hand on a weak woman made my blood boil. I promised myself I would make Yan Hao taste the exact pain he had caused. Soon.I glanced at my watch and blew out a slow breath, trying to calm down and failing. There was a reason my dinner with Estelle had been filled with silence. Of course, I had no pleasure in conversing with her, but we hadn't talked
I saw several guards look at me with a certain dose of disbelief as I strode through the courtyard, heading to the main gate. Luckily, none of them was foolish enough to try to stop me. Then again, they didn't try because they didn't receive an order, and I was certain my every step toward the gate had been noted and would be included in the report they'd give Yan Hao.And yet, I met the guards' gazes in a silent challenge as I walked forward. I was done. Gunner had learned of the existence of undeniable evidence. A man swore he had footage proving that Yan Hao had committed murder—an execution performed on American soil. Had Gunner found it, we could have set a perfect trap for Yan Hao, sending him to prison for the rest of his life. Yet, if I confirmed that the fuckers trying to kill Josie and Kaiden had been sent by Yan Hao, I would rather kill him with my bare hands.A black Porsche stopped in front of the gate, a grinning Asian stepping out. “Killian! Long time no see!” He spread
JOSIEI must have dozed off, and when I woke up, I was freezing. Trembling, I rose to my feet and reached for my phone. The battery died. “Oh, come on!” I whisper-hissed, angrily pressing the button as if it could miraculously bring the battery back to life.Cursing under my breath, I put the phone back into my purse and drew a deep breath. I needed to focus. Kaiden had told me he would come looking for me. What if he was here while I was asleep?Chills ran down my spine, but I quickly shoved that thought again. I would have never fallen into a deep sleep in such a place. The slightest noise would have woken me up... So was Kaiden still looking for me in other buildings? Or had his condition worsened? He had tried to convince me it hadn't been a serious wound, but I thought otherwise. Now I could only hope it wasn't as bad as I believed...I stepped toward the window; it was still dark outside with no signs of dawning. That meant I couldn't have slept more than an hour, maybe two. Per