登入Amber POVThe children found us before we could find them.Jason and I were still sitting at the breakfast table, surrounded by coffee, half-eaten toast, and enough international criminal evidence to ruin several governments, when I heard running footsteps upstairs.Then more footsteps.Then—"Mom!"I barely had time to turn.Alice slammed into me.I caught her instinctively, laughing as she wrapped both arms around my neck."Careful, sweetheart."She immediately loosened her grip."The babies!""They're fine."Alex arrived seconds later.Unlike Alice, he didn't throw himself at me.He stopped.Just stood there staring at us.Jason immediately pushed his chair back."Hey, buddy."Alex's lower lip trembled."You came back."That destroyed me.I opened one arm."Of course we came back."He crossed the room so quickly that I barely saw him move.One second he was standing there.The next, his arms were around me too.Jason joined us, wrapping himself around all three of us."We're here,"
Amber POVI didn't even get one full day.That was all I wanted.One day.Twenty-four uninterrupted hours in which nobody was kidnapped, nobody tried to kill us, nobody demanded custody of one of our children, and nobody uncovered another international criminal organization.Apparently, that was too much to ask.I woke up to my phone vibrating against the nightstand.Jason groaned beside me."Ignore it.""I can't.""You absolutely can."I reached for it.He grabbed my wrist without opening his eyes."Amber.""What?""We survived an island, a massacre, and a category-five hurricane. We deserve one morning."The phone stopped.I smiled."See? Problem solved."It immediately started ringing again.Jason opened his eyes."I hate our lives."I checked the screen.Pamela.That meant I couldn't ignore it."Hello?""Turn on the news."Of course.Ten minutes later, Jason and I were downstairs with coffee, watching Alexander Vincent give a press conference."My son is currently being held by th
Amber POVIt took less than twenty-four hours for the accused families to fight back.I wasn't surprised.People with that much money didn't quietly accept being called murderers.They hired lawyers.Public-relations firms.Digital-forensics experts.And, apparently, anyone willing to stand in front of a camera and say the words artificial intelligence often enough to create doubt.The first statement came from one of the families whose private aircraft appeared repeatedly in the island owner's records.They claimed the footage showed safari expeditions.Not human hunts.According to them, the videos had been deliberately edited to remove context.The weapons?For animals.The armed groups?Safari parties.The payments to the island owner?Private hunting fees.The people running through the forest?That footage, they claimed, wasn't real.AI-generated.Within hours, the others followed.Different lawyers.Different families.Almost identical explanations.Some admitted visiting the i
Amber POVI didn't want the island.That had been my first thought when I saw my name on the transfer documents.Several hours later, after a shower, two meals, a medical examination, and enough sleep to make me feel marginally human again, my opinion hadn't changed.Unfortunately, the island was mine whether I wanted it or not.I sat in one of the conference rooms at the River City military base, staring at a copy of the owner's will.Jason sat beside me.Emory and Mr. Stait were across from us.Three lawyers had already explained the same thing in increasingly complicated ways.I still didn't like the answer."So I can't sell it.""No," the lawyer answered."Rent it?""No.""Donate it?""No."I stared at him."What exactly can I do with it?""You can use it."I dropped my forehead against the table.Jason patted my back."There, there."I lifted my head just enough to glare at him."Don't."He was enjoying this far too much."I own an island where people were hunted for entertainmen
Amber POVWe were far enough from the island that I had finally stopped watching it.That was when the explosion came.Even through the roar of the helicopter blades, we heard it.A deep, violent sound that seemed to travel across the ocean itself.Everyone turned toward the windows."What was that?" I asked.Mr. Stait was already speaking into his headset."All aircraft, report."One by one, the pilots responded.Nobody had been hit.Then Jason pointed through the window."Amber."I looked.A massive cloud of smoke was rising from the island.From the direction of the beach.My stomach twisted."That was bigger than the others."Secretary Peterson stared at the smoke."Much bigger."Mr. Stait said something quietly into his radio before looking at us."The beach."Nobody needed him to explain further.The place where the bodies had been.The evidence.Possibly the people responsible.Gone.Jason tightened his hand around mine."At least we're not there anymore."I rested my head agai
Amber POVWe waited.That was possibly the hardest part.After three days trapped underground listening to a category-five hurricane tear the island apart, knowing that helicopters were finally coming for us made every minute feel like an hour.Still, Mr. Stait had been very clear.Do not move until thirty minutes before extraction.So we didn't.Everyone packed quietly.Nothing unnecessary came with us.Water.Medical supplies.Weapons.The evidence we had collected.Alexander's recordings from the beach.Anything that could prove what had actually happened on the island.When my timer finally reached thirty minutes, I stood."Time."Nobody needed to be told twice.Jasmine went first.She opened the emergency exit Jason had discovered and disappeared into the narrow passage.Héctor followed.Then Noah.One by one, we moved.I kept Mr. Stait on the phone until we reached the exit.The sunlight almost hurt my eyes after three days underground.The island looked completely different.Tr
It did not take long for Victoria to fabricate a lie, but the explosion didn’t come from the board.It came from a live broadcast.Victoria stood behind a polished podium, composed as ever. Cameras flashed. Reporters leaned forward.“I did not intend to involve myself publicly,” she began, voice s
They called her in. No delay. No warning. The door opened ten minutes later. Amelie walked in looking immaculate — refreshed, polished, perfectly styled. Not a trace of nerves in her posture. At least not until her eyes landed on me. For a fraction of a second, the color drained from her face
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.







