INICIAR SESIÓN~Sara~For a second, nothing moves.The city noise beyond the alley fades into a dull blur. The passing traffic, the distant sirens, the footsteps on the sidewalk outside. All of it disappears beneath the silence between us.Alex just stares at me.No blink.No breath.No sound.It feels like we could stand there all day, frozen in time. Then he laughs. Sharp. Offended.“What?” His voice is low and dangerous.I breathe in and steady myself. “You heard me.”“No.” He takes one slow step forward. “I heard words. I’m waiting for sense.”My fingers tighten around my purse strap. “Linda staged it.”His jaw flexes.“She manipulated everything,” I say.Another step.“She used Isabelle.”Another.“She was never some helpless victim dragged through hell for ten years. She built the hell herself.”“Stop.” He barks the word, and it cracks through the alley like a gunshot.I freeze.His chest rises sharply, his eyes burning into mine with a fury so intense it almost feels physical.“Do not,” his v
~Sara~I spend the cab ride downtown replaying everything in my head.Rachel betrayed me.And I, like an idiot, almost let her back into my life with open arms.I was foolish.Stupid.Naive enough to think she had changed.That she wanted redemption.That she came back to make things right.After everything she did to Mom and me.After abandoning us.I draw in a shaky breath, blinking hard as I fight the tears threatening to spill over.How foolish I was.How foolish I still am.Part of me wants this to be fake. Wants Rachel to laugh and say it was one of her tasteless pranks.Mom would be crushed if anything happened to her.I just...I just don’t know what the hell to do.The cab slows to the curb.I grab my purse, pull out some cash, and hand it over.“Thank you,” the driver says.I nod, push the door open, and step onto the sidewalk.At the mouth of the alley beside the street, a tall figure stands waiting.Broad shoulders.Hands in his coat pockets.Back turned toward me.The cab
~Sara~She bursts into laughter so violent she nearly slides off the chair. “Oh my God. You were humbled.”I snatch the paper back. “I was politically inconvenienced.”“You were disciplined.”“I was ambushed.”“You were spanked.”“Rachel!”She grins wickedly.There’s a knock at the door.Neither of us answers.The door pushes open anyway.Alex.I slap a hand over my face, dragging it down.Why does everyone keep invading my peace today?Alex steps into the office with the stupid stern look he usually wears.His gaze lands on Rachel first, then on me, then on the apology pages.Then back to Rachel.“I see introductions happened.” He says it like he’s talking about the weather.Rachel rises smoothly. “Mr. Ford.”“Sara.” He ignores her greeting and looks at me instead.My stomach does that stupid little flip it needs to stop doing. “What?”“I came to check if you were still employed.”“How caring.”His eyes flick to the pages again. “Debatable.”Rachel smiles like she’s watching premium
~Sara~I step aside immediately, and she crashes into the edge of my desk, her nose smacking against the wood.“Ouch!” she winces, clutching her nose as she stumbles back.She straightens slowly, her face turning a blotchy shade of red.Alex’s secretary coughs into her fist, suppressing a laugh.“You dodged me!”“You appeared suddenly.” I cross my arms, brows knitting into a frown. “Instinct took over.”Her eyes narrow.Still the same Rachel.Pretty in the polished, expensive kind of way. Hair sleek and glossy, lips painted a dangerous red, heels sharp enough to stab through concrete. She smells like luxury and bad decisions.Funny how money can polish a traitor.Because all I can see is the girl who packed her bags overnight when Mother needed her most.The one who left me alone with hospital bills.All for a few dollars from the man who dumped me for my best friend.She skims me from head to toe. “You look well.”I scoff. “You look employed.”She smiles too brightly.Alex’s secretar
~Sara~Silence.She stares at me for a second.“That’s...” She blinks. “Impossible. Have you seen her interviews since she got out?” She reaches for her pocket and pulls out her phone. “She went through a lot in the hands of that wicked monster.”She holds her phone to my face. I see a video of Linda shedding tears in an interview.I must give it to her. If the Oscars ever decide to give an award for best crocodile tears shedder of the century, she and Lily would be strong contenders.“There is no way she’d plan her own kidnap,” she says, lowering her phone and shoving it back into her pocket. “She looks so traumatized. No way she is faking that.”Ugh. The naivety of humans.I exhale sharply and clap once. “You’re right. There’s no way she’d plan the whole thing.”She chuckles. “You say it like you weren’t there yourself. I mean, she did kidnap you too, right?”My mouth hangs open. I blink.“Y-e-a-hhh,” I drawl, nodding along as she smiles brightly. “Shheee... she did kidnap me too. J
~Sara~I drop the stack of papers on the table so hard that it screeches.“Apology?” I slam my fists on the wood, rage brewing inside me. “I should write a fucking apology?”I scoff.It is enough that that silly bitch thinks she can boss me around like she personally hired me. Now I have to write a damned apology to her for standing up for my rights.Good Lord.I fall back into my seat, letting out a grunt.The door pushes open, and Alex’s secretary walks in. She is dressed in her usual skirt suit, hair styled in a tight bun, minimal makeup, and black heels that fail woefully to push her from short to average.“Miss Jane.” Her eyes brighten as she smiles.I roll my eyes, barely looking away from the piece of paper I am now holding as I rack my brain for the right composition to frame the damned apology so it can stick up that stupid blonde’s ass.“Yes.”“Your new assistant will be arriving in the next few minutes,” she says. “Mr. Alex suggested I ask if you’d need any other help.”Sug
13 Hours Till Anniversary...~ALEX~We are stationed a few kilometers away from Khlan’s hideout.I stand near the edge of the temporary camp, eyes fixed on the dark outline of the hills ahead. Somewhere beyond them, Khlan is breathing. Walking. Doing to Sara things I can't even bring myself to thin
~ALEX~36 Hours Till Anniversary…____Thirty-six hours till the anniversary.That's all I have.That's all Sara has.Our helicopter hovers above the thick, dense trees masking the island below—the Night Shifters’ base.Jake and I sit at the back of the helicopter, the pilot up front, with headsets
~ALEX~“All right,” the nurse says, snapping off her gloves as she steps back from the bed. “You’re all stitched up.”I groan and I pick my shirt— still blood stained, slipping it on."You're lucky," she continues, putting back the stitching tools in the metal tray, "The bullet didn't hit any vital
~SARA~Alex. Ford. Senior.The cold, ruthless businessman who clawed his way through sweat and blood to build the Ford empire into what it is today. I had heard tales about him. Tales that depicted him as a mean, stone hearted tyrant, who ran his business like mafia Dons. The tales were intimidat







