تسجيل الدخولJason POVHours later, my phone rang. The second I saw Marcus's name on the screen, I answered and put him on speaker so Mr. Asher and Mr. Stait could hear. "Do you have them?""Yes. Clara and the baby are with us. We just left the building."Mr. Asher exhaled beside me, some of the tension finally leaving his face. It didn't last. I heard Pamela say something sharply in the background, too low for me to understand, and Marcus suddenly went quiet."What?" I demanded, already knowing from the change in his silence that something was wrong."Our rear team just contacted us," Marcus said. Mr. Stait immediately moved closer to the phone as Marcus continued. "Several men entered Clara and Adrian's building right after we pulled away.""How many?" Mr. Stait asked."At least six. Dark clothing, faces covered."The room fell silent. Mr. Asher pushed himself to his feet while Mr. Stait's expression hardened, his attention completely focused on the call."How long after they left?" Mr. Asher de
Jason POVAmber's numbers had finally stopped falling, but nobody was willing to use the word stable again.Neither was I.Emory remained with the critical-care team, working through every result as it came in while I sat beside Amber's bed with my hand wrapped around hers. Her condition was still critical, and every few minutes my eyes moved automatically from her face to the monitors, as if I could somehow keep the numbers where they belonged simply by watching them.Mr. Asher hadn't left either. His phone had barely stopped ringing since he'd discovered that his sister had contacted relatives to announce that her branch no longer wanted to be considered part of the Asher family.We already knew Adrian was missing, nobody could reach him. His phone wasn't connecting, he hadn't responded to company communications, and no one could establish his current location. Mr. Stait's people were already tracing his movements.The problem was Clara.We had tried calling her repeatedly, but she
Jason POVMr. Asher lasted less than five minutes after Mr. Stait finished speaking about Jasmine before deciding he was done waiting."If members of my family are involved, I want to know which ones."Mr. Stait looked up from his phone. "My people are already investigating.""And they'll continue investigating," Mr. Asher replied. "But they're investigating a criminal conspiracy. I'm investigating my family."There was enough difference between those two things that Mr. Stait didn't argue.Mr. Asher stepped into the hallway with his phone already in his hand. I stayed beside Amber, listening to his voice through the partially open door as he started making calls. He didn't begin with accusations. He asked questions about family gatherings, recent conversations, Adrian's relatives and anyone who had suddenly changed plans after Amber was hospitalized.It didn't take long before the answers became strange.Mr. Asher returned almost half an hour later, looking older than he had when he
Jason POVwhen Mr. Stait checked his phone again, I finally understood the expression on his face.I'd seen it before.Not on him.On myself.It was the same sick mixture of anger and fear I'd felt when Amber collapsed. The same helpless fury I'd felt when the doctors took her through doors I couldn't follow her through. It wasn't irritation because Jasmine had ignored orders. It wasn't even the anger of a commander whose injured soldier had disappeared during an active investigation.It was personal.I thought back to the waiting room when Iris had handed me Jasmine's letter. Mr. Stait hadn't reacted like a superior discovering that one of his people had gone off mission. He'd immediately started pulling cameras, tracing routes and issuing orders with a kind of controlled urgency I recognized now because I'd spent the last several hours feeling it myself.He'd been scared.Noah had just told me Jasmine was safe, yet Mr. Stait was still checking his phone as though he needed constant
Jason POVI was sitting beside Amber when Noah called.The ventilator continued its steady rhythm beside me, pushing air into her lungs while the monitors tracked every heartbeat as if numbers could somehow reassure me that my wife was still here. I had been holding her hand for so long that my fingers had gone stiff around hers, but I couldn't make myself let go.My phone vibrated against the arm of the wheelchair.Noah.I answered immediately. "Tell me you found Jasmine.""I found her."Some of the tension left my shoulders. "Is she all right?""She's Jasmine."That wasn't an answer, but somehow it was."She's with me," Noah continued. "Leo gave her a location connected to the conversation he overheard. It led us to an Asher hotel."My attention sharpened. "What did you find?""Someone is using Mr. Asher's identity to reserve a suite. Room 355. We found Adrian's younger brother there, completely drunk. He wasn't alone."I looked toward Amber."Adrian?""Not Adrian. His younger broth
Jasmine POVLeo's location turned out to be a hotel, and not just any hotel—an Asher hotel. I stared at the name above the entrance before looking at Noah. "Of course it is." When he asked if I knew they owned this one, I shook my head. Amber owned enough property that I had stopped trying to keep track of every building attached to her family name.We crossed the lobby without drawing attention. Noah was still wearing the disguise he used while serving, looking nothing like the famous idol people would recognize onstage. At reception, he handled the check-in while I stood beside him, pretending to be interested in my phone."We'd like a room," he said.The receptionist smiled as she entered the information. "One bed?""Yes."I slowly turned my head toward him, but Noah didn't even look at me. He continued checking us in as though registering us as a couple and requesting one bed was the most natural thing in the world. Fine. I could kill him later.While we waited for our key cards,
I didn’t cry. I didn’t shake. I didn’t look back, or mourned the life and the years i will never get back, lost forever. I just went home, time to pack and say goodbye to my old life. The penthouse doors opened with biometric recognition the moment I stepped inside. Floor-to-ceiling glass. Marb
We moved quickly through the hallway. Adrian walked behind me, gun raised, covering the corridor while I forced Henry Watson forward. The mansion was quieter than expected. Too quiet. Which meant either the guards were regrouping… or Jason was already on his way. I glanced over my shoulder.
Jason POV Marcus nearly slammed the brakes. “She shot the camera!” I leaned back slowly. Marcus looked at me. “What the hell was that?” I ran a hand over my face. “She said hello husband before she shot it.” Marcus stared. “…Okay.” Silence filled the car. “…What does that mean exactly?”
Family drama. Honestly, I was getting tired of it. I shifted slightly in the chair, letting the ropes around my wrists rub just enough to make the guards think I was uncomfortable. In truth, they had tied them loosely—political kidnappers rarely knew how to do proper restraints. Across from me,







