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Chapter 25 (Part 02)

Author: Sheenzafar
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-27 16:38:54

When the final round of handshakes began, I exhaled — slow, controlled — letting the tension in my shoulders ease.

The relief was premature, I realized, but in that moment, I allowed myself to feel it anyway. The evening had been a careful dance on the edge of a knife, and somehow we'd managed not to cut ourselves. At least not visibly.

We'd made it. No public scene, no glass-shattering standoffs. Just an evening balanced precariously on silent grudges and unspoken history.

Around us, the other guests were beginning their own departure rituals—the subtle glances at phones, the polite mentions of early meetings, the careful orchestration of who left when and with whom. In circles like this, even the order of departure carried meaning.

I stepped back from my chair, smoothing the skirt of my dress, when two women approached. Both were dressed like they'd walked out of a glossy spread — jewel-toned silk, hair swept into styles that looked effortless but probably took hours.

The taller of
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  • Beneath His Ice   Chapter 25 (Part 02)

    When the final round of handshakes began, I exhaled — slow, controlled — letting the tension in my shoulders ease.The relief was premature, I realized, but in that moment, I allowed myself to feel it anyway. The evening had been a careful dance on the edge of a knife, and somehow we'd managed not to cut ourselves. At least not visibly.We'd made it. No public scene, no glass-shattering standoffs. Just an evening balanced precariously on silent grudges and unspoken history.Around us, the other guests were beginning their own departure rituals—the subtle glances at phones, the polite mentions of early meetings, the careful orchestration of who left when and with whom. In circles like this, even the order of departure carried meaning.I stepped back from my chair, smoothing the skirt of my dress, when two women approached. Both were dressed like they'd walked out of a glossy spread — jewel-toned silk, hair swept into styles that looked effortless but probably took hours.The taller of

  • Beneath His Ice   Chapter 25

    On my other side, Zayn opened his mouth — I could see the words forming, could almost hear the shape of whatever provocation he was about to drop into the space between us. His eyes held a glint that I didn’t like, something sharp and reckless that told me he wasn’t done stirring the pot.I turned my head and met his eyes.One glare. Flat, sharp, precise.The look I gave him was pure ice. It was a look that said: *Don’t. You. Dare.* It was a look that promised consequences if he chose to ignore the warning.He shut his mouth. Smart man.But I caught the slight twitch of his lips, as if he found my intervention amusing rather than intimidating. That worried me. A man who found danger amusing was a man who created more of it.From there, the dinner moved on as if nothing had happened. The waiters came and went with practiced efficiency, wine glasses refilled with barely a whisper of sound, plates replaced with the next course in a choreographed dance of fine dining. Someone down the tab

  • Beneath His Ice   Chapter 24 (Part 02)

    Emery QuinnI was still hearing those three words in my head — *He’s my brother* — like someone had taken a hammer to the inside of my skull. They didn’t fade, didn’t soften with repetition. If anything, the sound got sharper each time, like glass grinding underfoot.*Brother.*It didn’t make sense. It didn’t fit with anything I’d seen, anything I’d felt in the tension between them. Brothers weren’t supposed to look at each other like that. Not unless something had gone very, very wrong.The word rolled around in my mind, gathering weight with each revolution. I thought about the way Killian’s entire demeanor shifted when Zayn’s name came up in conversation — how his jaw would set, his eyes would go flat and cold. I thought about the careful distance Zayn maintained, the way he spoke Killian’s name like it tasted bitter on his tongue. Brothers. The revelation should have explained everything, but instead it only deepened the mystery.One thing was certain — I wasn’t staying the cluele

  • Beneath His Ice   Chapter 24

    Emery QuinnI was still hearing those three words in my head — *He’s my brother* — like someone had taken a hammer to the inside of my skull. They didn’t fade, didn’t soften with repetition. If anything, the sound got sharper each time, like glass grinding underfoot.*Brother.*It didn’t make sense. It didn’t fit with anything I’d seen, anything I’d felt in the tension between them. Brothers weren’t supposed to look at each other like that. Not unless something had gone very, very wrong.The word rolled around in my mind, gathering weight with each revolution. I thought about the way Killian’s entire demeanor shifted when Zayn’s name came up in conversation — how his jaw would set, his eyes would go flat and cold. I thought about the careful distance Zayn maintained, the way he spoke Killian’s name like it tasted bitter on his tongue. Brothers. The revelation should have explained everything, but instead it only deepened the mystery.One thing was certain — I wasn’t staying the cluele

  • Beneath His Ice   Chapter 23 (Part 02)

    The quartet played something bright and airy, all major keys and cheerful trills. It was almost insulting in its cheer, a soundtrack completely at odds with the tension that had settled over our table like a heavy blanket.I leaned forward slightly, lowering my voice to cut under the music. The movement brought me closer to him, close enough to see the fine lines around his eyes that spoke of too many sleepless nights, close enough to catch the faint scent of his cologne mixed with something else — something that smelled like fear.Before he could recover enough to feed me something polished, before he could reconstruct whatever defense he was scrambling to build, I cut him off. “And no more lies, Zayn.”His mouth closed with a snap that was almost audible. He’d been about to speak, I could see it in the way his lips had parted, in the slight intake of breath that preceded words. I’d stopped him right on the inhale, caught him in that vulnerable moment bet

  • Beneath His Ice   Chapter 23

    Emery QuinnI didn’t know what to do.The air around me still felt carved by Killian’s abrupt exit, as if his shadow lingered over the table even though his chair was empty. My fingers hovered near my wine glass, but I didn’t dare touch it — the stem felt too fragile, like it would shatter if I so much as breathed wrong. The burgundy liquid inside caught the light from the crystal chandeliers overhead, casting tiny reflections that danced across the white tablecloth like drops of blood.I was stuck between two men.And as if that wasn’t enough, they both looked like sworn enemies.Not just the casual dislike you get between business rivals. No, this was something older, sharper — a blade honed over years and left to rust in salt water. I’d seen enough in both their reactions to the other’s name to know there was history. The way Killian’s entire demeanor had shifted the moment Zayn appeared at our table, the careful control that had slipped from his features like a mask falling away.

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