KILLIANNo decent words could describe what I felt after I learned about what had happened to Josie. I was supposed to spend the night in D.C. and return after the morning conference, but I canceled my plans and rushed back to New York.I was fucking furious. Murderous urges merrily danced in my head, filling it with all sorts of ideas. I had begun to debate whether I should call Gunner and end all those fuckers at Chernaya Roza. Yes, I was ready to start an open war with the Russian Mafia. One of them dared threaten my woman. Killing that fucker seemed like an appropriate response.Rage still hummed in my veins as I walked into my penthouse around three AM, but the need to see Josie unharmed turned out to be stronger than bloodthirst. I dropped my briefcase and documents in the salon and ran upstairs to my bedroom. The sight of her sleeping in my bed instantly silenced my inner storm.The relief drew air out of my lungs. I sat on the bed and brushed a few blond strands off her face. S
JOSIEKillian texted me to eat lunch together, and my stupid heart lurched. We might have been working in the same building, but we had rarely seen each other at work. Truthfully, we hadn't spent much time together outside of work either. I was constantly busy improving and expanding the options of the Happy App, while Killian was almost glued to his CEO's desk, drowning in the executive's work.A wide grin parted my lips, but it faded within heartbeats as I realized there might be a serious reason behind Killian's sudden lunch invitation. In the morning, he said he was going to talk with Kaiden. Had the conversation gone bad? Had Kaiden said something stupid, and now Killian was mad at me?I knew he was furious I had gone to Chernaya Roza without him. He was even more furious once he learned it had been Kaiden who saved me. Of course, Killian apologized for his asshole-like behavior, but it didn't mean he accepted what had happened.Shoving those gloomy thoughts away, I grabbed my pu
KILLIAN“An engagement ring?!” Tony's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Are you out of your fucking mind?!”“Well, it's easier to introduce Josie as my fiancée. People see a ring, and no one dares assume she's my plaything or that I will throw her away as soon as I get bored,” I reasoned.“That's not right,” Tony muttered, opening a new whiskey bottle and refilling our glasses.For the first time, we were sitting in his office instead of a study in my penthouse. I chose Tony's company, thinking it would be better to discuss a few matters without Josie's presence. Then again, she wasn't spending her evening at the penthouse either. She went to her friend Ashley, claiming she needed to think my not-proposal through…“I don't get it. Why does it have to be such a big thing?” I snatched my glass from the table and took a sip. “It's not a real engagement. The ring is just a prop.”Tony rolled his eyes. “Your precious little prop is worth nearly one hundred thousand dollars.”“So?”
JOSIEI was still mad at Killian for this fake engagement ring. I had been close to confessing my feelings for him, and a few minutes later, he casually told me to act as his fake fiancée. Was any part of the things that had happened between us even real to him? Was our intimate relationship meaningless?I let out a deep sigh as I sank into a luxurious seat in Killian's private jet. I was planning to ignore Killian and do anything I could to enjoy our trip to Los Angeles, but the nearly painful restlessness had taken some of that pleasure away.I glanced at my opened purse and instantly saw the little black velvet box I had hidden inside it. I had yet to decide whether or not I would wear the ring at the conference and gala. A part of me could understand why Killian had thought of such a thing. Showing this ring would have made our relationship solid and believable. If I had turned off my emotions, perhaps I would have been able to appreciate the advantage the ring was giving, but I d
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