KILLIANContaining my rage throughout the flight quickly became a challenge. What Josie told me didn't sound like the Ryder Phillips I knew, but then my mother's words emerged. What if she was right and none of the people I called friends had ever shown me their true faces because of who I was?I had to admit that I felt even more conflicted about meeting with Ryder now than before I talked to Josie but for entirely different reasons. If I met Ryder now, I would confront him, force him to tell me everything he had done, and then I would turn him into a bloody pulp.The only good outcome of this conversation was that I held Josie in my embrace until we landed. She was no longer mad at me… or, at least, her anger visibly decreased. She had fallen asleep at some point, resting her head on my lap as I worked on my computer. She woke up as we landed at LAX and began to chase away the remains of sleep, fixing her hair and makeup. I told her she didn't have to do anything; she looked beautif
JOSIEI froze in my seat, as if my mind had decided that not moving a muscle would make me invisible. I knew that the fear I felt was completely irrational, but I still struggled to overcome it. Killian stepped closer to my seat like he was trying to shield me, preventing Ryder from even glancing at me. Perhaps it was better this way. I didn't want to see him, and I sure as hell didn't want him to look my way or talk to me. And yet, hearing his voice was enough to send an icy shudder down my spine.His voice had become more mature and deeper. When he spoke to Killian, that voice was laced with laughter, but all I could hear was him from that day and the threats he had viciously whispered into my ear.“The lecture is about to start. How about we catch up some other time?” Killian suggested curtly.Ryder moved, trying to sidestep Killian, but my contract boyfriend extended his hand, blocking him. “Wow… aren't you a little overprotective?” Ryder chuckled. “I'm not going to steal your wom
KILLIANThe storm of rage slowly devoured my insides as I processed Josie's words. If Ryder had been the one behind the attack on Josie, my conversation with him might truly end in murder. Now I was pissed that I had let him walk away without even punching him.“I think this is why Ryder got scared,” Josie continued. “He thought Killian already knew and could prove it…”Tony shook his head. “I'm afraid you're wrong. Ryder had an entire arm in the cast.”Josie bit her lip, processing his words, and then released a breath. “Well, the one who attacked me surely had his both arms healthy.”I didn't miss the way her jaw clenched as she mentioned it. Josie had never gotten into details when she had told me about the attack, but I already wanted to separate those two “healthy arms” from the fucker's body in the most brutal way possible.“Is there a way he could have faked that injury? I mean, did someone see him with that cast?” I looked at Tony, and he gave me a thin-lipped smile.“I found
JOSIEI'd had the diamond ring in my purse the entire time, but I hadn't thought I would actually wear it. So why was the blue diamond currently sparkling on my finger? A part of me called it calculated self-protection. With assholes like Ryder around, upgrading my status—even a fake status—granted me an additional level of safety. The rest of me had remained unconvinced for a long time… until I did something I hadn't done before. I watched one of Killian's recent interviews, one where he had been asked about our relationship.I played it on my phone while reapplying makeup. I saw him smile as the reporter asked about me, and I realized there was no lie in his words or expression. My heart began to flutter, and my eyes filled with a glossy layer of tears. He had feelings for me. He had to. Fine, it might not be love, but he did feel something—something that went beyond what had been written in our contract.‘I never lie when I say how amazing you are.’His words rang in my head, filli
Did it mean that our contract no longer mattered? Was this his way of admitting he wanted our relationship to be real? I wanted to ask those questions but couldn't. A second later, we were already surrounded by a group of businessmen eager to talk to Killian. Yep, so much for a much-needed moment of privacy.Judging by the wry smile on Killian's face, I figured he would rather avoid such conversations too. Unfortunately, this was the sole reason we were at this conference. Killian needed to present himself as the potential future CEO of the Blair Consortium. This was one of the ways to build his position. Announcing our relationship was only a tiny bonus, the little cherry on top, almost insignificant to some.Nonetheless, our announcement made a difference, giving me something I hadn't realized before: power. The businessmen who barely noticed my existence in the morning now lowered their heads, kindly asking me to join the conversation. Killian welcomed me by his side, sliding his h
KILLIANI stretched my lips into a well-practiced smile as I walked over to a group of women standing in the corner of the banquet hall. “Good evening, ladies.” I widened my smile, giving the women an elegant bow.Playful giggles sounded before they all replied, adding breathiness to their voices, as if it could possibly make them less repulsive. It was obvious why each of them had come here, and even if I ignored the fuck-me looks they were giving me, their more-revealing-than-covering clothes said all I needed to know.“Was it just my wild imagination, or were you looking at me from across the hall?” I asked, keeping a trained smile on my face.They all giggled again before one of them stepped forward. “It was impossible not to look at a man like you, Mr. Blair,” she said, twisting her lips into a smirk. She tossed her auburn hair to one side and traced her finger from her neck down to her cleavage.I locked my eyes on hers. “What's your name?”“Priscilla,” she breathed out before l
I locked my eyes on Josie. Her hands began to shake, and her chest stretched with fast, uneven breaths.“He wants to tell the truth,” I muttered, reading the text again. “What truth exactly?”She drew a deeper breath and pulled her hair behind her ear. “Maybe… Maybe it's about that sexual assault.” I heard the tremor in her voice, despite her attempts to sound calm. I knew she was anything but. I could only guess what sort of dark thoughts were running through her head.My brows knitted. “It sounds suspicious, don't you think? Why would he want to tell me anything on his own? I was convinced I would have to drag the information out, or rather, beat it out of him.”Josie's lips twitched into a wry smile. “Well, we both saw that he got scared. Maybe he wants to use this as an opportunity to tell you his version of the story.”That sounded reasonable, but we were also talking about a guy who had threatened to kill Josie, and who had been accused of a serious felony. I drew a deep breath
JOSIEFifteen Minutes EarlierI exited the banquet hall and walked through the long corridor, heading to the same café where Killian, Tony, and I had been sitting after Tony's lecture. I climbed the stairs, but the whole upper floor was dark, and the café closed.“Great,” I grumbled. “Now what?”I pulled out my phone and called Tony, slowly walking through the dark corridor. Had he meant some other café? Was there another café on this floor? All those thoughts swirled inside my head as I listened to the waiting signals until the call automatically disconnected. Just perfect. Had he switched his phone to silent mode?A few curses built at the tip of my tongue just as the text came. I sighed in relief, noticing it was from Tony.“The café is closed, but I found another place. Walk to the opposite side of the corridor. The last door on the left.”My brows knitted. Something felt off. Why would he make me walk through the entire floor when we could simply meet downstairs among people? Dra
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