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
KILLIANI stormed through the corridor by the banquet hall, heading to the staircase. Ryder was following me. I remembered that Josie mentioned she and Tony were supposed to meet in the café right above the auditorium, so that was our first place to check. I wanted to be wrong. I wanted her to sit somewhere with Tony, laughing at my paranoid behavior, but deep down I knew she was in danger. If that fucker had come here, he'd gone straight for her…“You should have kept your brother on a tight leash!” I roared, running upstairs.“I tried!” Ryder snarled. “I made sure he wouldn't know you or Josephine are here.”A dry chuckle escaped me. “Guess it didn't work out well, did it?”“Fuck you, Killian!” he snapped.I spun around, grabbing his collar and slamming him against the wall. “Your brother should have been rotting in jail, but you and your father helped cover all his deeds. If Josie gets hurt because of him, I'll make sure your entire family pays for this.”Ryder swallowed, slowly ra