LOGINTEYARA'S POV What in heaven's name had I just done?I wished desperately to break free from her grasp and strike myself until I bled. I could not have chosen Jax over Chloe. I could not have made such a choice between two people.Brielle had merely been grating on my nerves, and I blurted out the first name that crossed my mind.Could her words have contained some fragment of truth? Why would I still consider saving Jax after all his wicked deeds toward me?Did some part of me still harbor feelings for him? No!I could not love someone like that! I simply could not! He had hurt me, betrayed me, shattered my trust.My family had deserted me. My friends had abandoned me. All because of him. There was no possible way I loved him. Frankly, I would rather end my own life than fall in love with Jax Mitchell.Yet that still did not answer the question of why his name had escaped my lips. Perhaps it was guilt for the pain I had caused him. I was so utterly confused.Now Chloe was in danger.
Inspector's POV I abandoned every case file on my desk, leaving them to gather dust for another day. My focus had narrowed to a single point—this murder investigation. I have never, in all my years of service, been so utterly consumed by a case.My first step is to examine the bullet casings. Once I have the names, I can narrow the search and bring the perpetrator to justice. Perhaps then I will finally find some semblance of peace. To mutilate a fellow human being's body is an act of unimaginable cruelty. Heartless. When I conclude this investigation, Mr. John will finally find the rest he deserves, wherever he may be.My patience was wearing thin. I needed those names now. My thoughts were spiraling, and I had to act quickly.As if responding to my mental demands, my officer carefully placed a sheet of paper on my desk.I lifted it, and four names were printed in bold letters:· Chloe, Recently became Chloe Mitchell.· Brielle· Teyara· Jax"Excellent work, Officer. Now, what do w
TEYARA'S POV My stomach rumbled loudly. It was clearly furious about being starved of food and water.If my math was right, I'd been locked in this dark room for about ten hours. Give or take.I still didn't understand my role in this twisted revenge plot of hers. If Brielle wanted me dead, why didn't she just tell Adrian to put a bullet in me? Why drag me all the way here? Maybe her plan was to torture me slowly until I died.Well, it was working perfectly. I already had a dead man on my conscience. My brain kept trying to rationalize John's death, but it was just too damn hard.I even caught myself thinking: if he'd just said no to the job, he'd still be alive. But no — I was the one who asked him to uncover the truth. I dragged him into this mess. Now I'd carry that guilt for the rest of my life.Speaking of Adrian, I wondered what scheme Brielle had him running now. I hadn't seen his face in hours.I needed to warn Chloe. She was in serious danger, her unborn baby was at risk, an
TEYARA'S POV I had been completely off my mind from the moment I landed back in this city.I got too fucking focused on building my new business. that I completely ignored everything else around me.The moment this whole mess started, my mind should have immediately jumped to fucking Jax's Ex Stephenie. I had even thought about her while reading the news online. Where did Stephenie go?She completely vanished from the radar after losing more than anyone else. Jax dumped her after keeping her hopes up for years, all because of a single one-night fuck. I knew how deeply that must have hurt her pride. I could understand why she wanted revenge.The terrible thing now was that I was being dragged into her twisted game.Yes, I mocked her back when she was dating Jax, but that didn't mean she had to involve me in this nightmare.The worst part was that her plan actually worked. She managed to turn Chloe and me against each other. I doubted the one woman who was a true friend to me when I ha
TEYARA'S POV I refused to cry for this stupid motherfucker standing in front of me. I would not give him the pleasure of seeing my tears, I did not want him to know he could affect me.I just wouldn't.My reputation was already ruined. Adrian was not the first bad guy I had faced, He could do his worst. Yes, I was terrified inside, but I wouldn't let him see it. That would be giving him exactly what he wanted.My stomach dropped when he walked back into the room. He had a disgusting smile on his face."Thinking about fucking your sweet pussy gets my cock so hard and veined," he sneered. "I can't risk untying you from that chair. So you're going to use your mouth to suck my cock instead."I kept my face completely blank."Not scared of me?" He laughed and stepped closer to touch me.I growled and spat right in his face. He raised his hand to slap me hard, but he stopped halfway. Instead, he slowly unbuckled his pants. He wasn't joking.I let out a shaky breath. My heart started racing
Teyara MoonAdrian. My ex. Or really, a former client. The last guy I'd had to sleep with before I met Jax.The last time I saw him, I'd crawled back to him for help. Jax found out and threatened to ruin his life. Adrian got so scared he ran, and I hadn't heard from him since."You did all of this?" I asked, trying to process it. It was so hard to believe. Why would Adrian do this? What did he even get out of it?John told me the person on the tape was a woman in her late twenties. Did Adrian wear a disguise? Or hire someone to do his dirty work? It still didn't make sense. He had no real reason to go this far."You're lying," I said, gritting my teeth."Oh, you don't believe me?" Adrian laughed. "After you and your boyfriend made a fool out of me, I swore I'd get even. I took my time. And look how well it worked. You and your best friend are tearing each other apart over the same guy. Chloe wants to destroy you. And Jax? The big, tough CEO is about to die in a hospital bed. My patien
Teyara MoonI reached beneath the pillow to retrieve my synthetic wig.Marching over to the vanity mirror, I focused on finishing my appearance. After massaging a fresh layer of moisturizer into my skin—since the previous application had completely dried out in the chill—I surveyed the selection of
Teyara MoonFollowing my pointed jab, Jax transformed into the absolute portrait of docility. By docile, I meant he completely refrained from launching any further snarky remarks in my direction.I diverted my entire attention to his parents, whom I had desperately missed. We had six years of catch
Teyara MoonSeconds stretched into what felt like agonizing hours, neither of us uttering a single word.Finally, Jax let out a sharp, mocking scoff. He dragged both hands through his hair, pacing the perimeter of my bedroom like a wanted criminal.“Teyara…” he breathed, causing my features to inst
Teyara MoonI cleared my throat sharply to dissolve the thick, suffocating silence hanging in the room.I had literally just walked in on them fucking each other like dogs in heat, standing by like an audience member while they cumed together. What a fantastic way to initiate a professional contrac







