Another wave of murmurs came. I heard some grumbling—the sound of someone's dissatisfaction. Just great. I had merely managed to introduce myself, and those in the audience had already lost their patience. Way to go, Josie!I fisted my hands and closed my eyes, trying to find the beginning of my speech in the depths of my panicked mind. I recalled the first sentences, but as my eyes opened, I decided I didn't want to tell those people about my college or the basement that I worked in. Killian had said I should give them a piece of my soul… Well, they were going to get exactly that.“I've been wondering for a while what would be the best way to present my creation, and I decided I should start by telling you a little bit about my life. I used to go to a private high school, one I normally could have never afforded. I was the smart kid who got a scholarship. I received a chance and considered myself lucky. But as soon as I started going to that school, I realized I wasn't the lucky one;
KILLIANI looked at the stage and saw a black-haired woman confidently walking to the center. My breath caught in my throat as her lips curled up in a mesmerizing smile. Her hazel eyes shone as brightly as I remembered. Of course, she was now more mature and sophisticated and had a different last name, but it was her.“Estelle,” I murmured, unable to drag my gaze away.Dumbfounded, I watched her slightest movement and gesture as she placed her notes on the small table on the side of her. She was dressed in a cream-colored skirt and jacket, perfectly embracing her body. She seemed less curvy now. Had she lost weight while being away? And what had happened to her during all those years?“That's her, isn't she?” I heard Josie's trembling whisper. “That's... Estelle Durand.”Drawing a deep breath, I dragged my gaze away from the stage. “That's her,” I confirmed. “But the change of her last name...” I trailed off as all the pieces clicked into place.Josie gasped as she most likely realize
JOSIEMy chest tightened. My eyes restlessly flickered between Killian and Estelle. She bit her lip, pretending to fight back a smile as she fluttered her lashes at him. Killian's expression became blank, unreadable. He glanced at his father—who chose to ignore my existence—before shifting his attention back to Estelle.“Well, as you can see”—he pointed at me—“I'm with Josie now, and I'm not planning—”“It's not marriage. Nothing solid.” Maxwell Blair chuckled, stepping between us with his back to me.My blood began to boil, and it took every ounce of my self-control not to explode. I knew that if I did, I could easily devastate Killian's chances to take over the consortium, and I hated it.Killian let go of my hands and stepped toward his father, glaring at him. “What do you think you're doing?” he hissed.Estelle breathed out a chuckle. “I didn't mean to offend anyone.” Her eyes finally found mine. “I just wanted to spend some time with Killian… if you don't mind.” She smiled shyly.
KILLIAN“After you.” I gestured for Estelle to enter the meeting room that Father mentioned.“Thank you.” She gave me a polite nod before walking inside.I closed the door behind us and looked around. There was a large U-shaped table with more than thirty chairs around it. There was also a huge screen hanging on the wall on the opposite side of the top seat. Yep, I could bet that Father used that room to meet with the board of directors or major shareholders. Undeniably, this place was soundproof, but it was also my father's territory, and I was not taking any chances he might somehow eavesdrop on our conversation. I saw three cameras in the room, and God only knew how many hidden bugs were placed here by my father's orders.Luckily, I always carried around a small jamming device ready to use whenever I needed it. I pulled it out of my suit jacket pocket and placed it on the table. Estelle walked over to me and glanced at the little black device.“What's that for?” She raised her brow
My hands opened and fisted on my sides. A child. I could have been a father. Fuck. Our lives could have been so much different if I had known.I took another step back and ran my fingers through my hair. My mother… She was the one responsible for everything. She was the main reason Estelle miscarried.“I would have protected you... both of you,” I strained through my teeth, locking my eyes on Estelle. “I would have found a way to keep you both safe despite my mother's sick attempts to separate us.”Anger seethed through every pore of my skin, emphasizing the dull ache in my chest—an odd sense of loss.More tears streamed down Estelle's cheeks. “You... you don't understand. I was so scared back then… I was a pregnant minor, and I couldn't even imagine what would have happened if my father had found out about it… It was enough that your mother was against it. She was going to get me expelled and make the rumors spread. How could I possibly live in Flower Hills after that? Besides, where
JOSIE“I need to tell you something important.” Once I heard Killian's tense voice, I knew I wasn't going to hear anything pleasant.I had just finished making our coffee. I placed the cups on the kitchen table and sat down; Killian sat in front of me. “Well?” I urged, curving my lips into a nervous smile.“Estelle will be here for another two weeks,” he stated, and my shoulders slumped.I could feel my chest tighten. Jealousy was a nasty thing, but I couldn't help but feel insecure. She was Killian's first love. Hell, he'd started bullying me because of her! How could I not feel insecure when she appeared in his life again?“We will deal with it.” He smiled faintly and leaned across the table, reaching for my hands. “We will deal with everything. I will do whatever I can to stop this merger from—”“Wow!” I slipped my hands away and frowned. “What merger?” I demanded.Killian sighed. “Father was talking with Mr. Yan about the merger… but he failed to inform me that the two companies th
“Whoever you are, Ms. Yan, it's a common courtesy to knock before you enter.” Ashley stepped forward, folding her hands across her chest.Estelle pursed her lips as she looked my friend up and down. “And you are?”“Ashley Farnell,” she said, her chin inching up.I pinched the bridge of my nose. God, this day had merely started, and I could already feel the incoming headache. Drawing a deep breath, I stepped forward and gave Estelle a forced smile. “Ms. Yan, what brings you here so early? And does Killian know you're here?”She shrugged. “He doesn't need to know. Thanks to Mr. Maxwell Blair, I have a certain authority here, which allows me to go wherever I want.”I wanted to punch her… and punch Mr. Blair too. Unfortunately for Estelle, I was good at memorizing things, and I had once memorized Blair Digital's status. “Even Mr. Blair cannot give you such authority here.” I fixed my eyes on hers and smirked. “And you certainly don't have the right to enter this office or even this floor
“I'm sorry it turned out this way.” That was about the fifth time I heard Killian say it since we left the Blair Digital building. He took me to his friend's restaurant for dinner. He did it most likely because he felt guilty for putting me in this situation, but I would never say no to good food.Killian pulled out a chair for me as we were about to sit at our table. He tried to smile, but I could still see the guilt tensing his every muscle. I sighed and grabbed his hand, smiling. “Please stop apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong. It was all your father's doing.”He clenched his jaw as he walked to his side of the table. “Still, it pisses me off that I couldn't respond differently to his ridiculous demand.”“It's not that bad.” I shrugged slightly, keeping my faint smile. “It could have been worse. At least we convinced your father to limit the number of unwanted guests to Estelle alone. One person is much easier to control than an army of Estelle's men, snooping around our pro
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