LOGIN~SARA~For a moment, the room reigns in silence. My chest rises and falls too fast, like I’ve just outrun something. My fingers twitch at my sides, nails biting into my palms as if I need the pain to stay grounded.I know this feeling.The same cold, merciless instinct that took over ten years ago. The same one that made me choose survival over everything else.Over innocence.Over humanity.Over... Doing the right time.I look across across the room, slowly looking at everyone's faces. Mira stands wide-eyed, pale, her lips parted like she wants to speak but doesn’t dare.MaryJane tries to look composed but she avoids my eyes when it lands to her.The maids avoids my eyes entirely, shifting away from me like I had just transformed into something dangerous.Good.Let them feel it. Let them know that I can be twice as deadly as their master.I turn my gaze and glare at him.He barely flinches. He stands, one hand tucked casually into his pocket, but there’s nothing casual about the w
~SARA~We drive down the street in silence, my temple pressed against the cold glass as I stare out the window.The streetlights blur as we speed past, but I barely notice them.My mind is fixed on something else...On Alex.The look in his eyes.The dark, violent rage that radiated from them.Like he was ready to snap me in half without hesitation.Like the gap between chaos and control was nothing but a thin, blurry line and he was ready to cross it at any second.He was willing to go this far without knowing the whole story. If he eventually finds out the truth—which is only a matter of time...My throat tightens.He would end us. Feed us to the dogs and not bat an eye while doing it.A lump forms in my throat, and I clutch my hands together in my lap to keep them from shaking.“So what do we do now?” Mira asks, her eyes locked on the road as she steers.I exhale sharply. “I… don’t know.”She tightens her grip on the steering wheel and seethes through clenched teeth. “Sara, listen
~ALEX~She slaps my hand away and steps back, her gaze flickering. “It’s nothing, Alex. Nothing I can’t take care of.”“Nothing?” I tilt my head to the side. “Nothing that made you come all the way here with…”My gaze flicks to Mira. She swallows and her eyes darts at everywhere but me.I look back at Sara. “…her.”Sara’s breath hitches slightly, and for just a second, I see it. The hesitation in her eyes. A crack in the armor she’s trying so hard to hold together.I frown. Something’s wrong.I’m not stupid. I can read people.She is hiding something from me and I'm sure of it.Her lips part like she’s about to say something, but then she shuts them again.I can almost hear the thoughts racing in her head. The calculations. The lies she’s deciding whether to tell.And I hate that she thinks lying to me will make this better.I take a small step closer.“You’re not a villain, Sara.” My voice softens just enough to show I care. Just enough to make her understand that lying won’t make th
~ALEX~An Hour Ago…The car slows to a stop in front of the mansion, and Jake switches off the engine. We both step out, the night air cool against my skin as we head toward the entrance.“What do you think about Boaz’s findings?” Jake asks, walking beside me.I sigh, adjusting my sleeve. “What is there to think about, Jake?”He shrugs. “If you look at it properly… if she and Miss Frothmoth were close in school, then there’s a chance she knows what happened. Especially since Miss Frothmoth—”He stops talking.I stop walking, then turn to him slowly, clenching my teeth. “Say it.”“Sir, I—”“Goddamit! Say it, Jake.”“Especially since Miss Frothmoth was found dead in the school!” He says quickly.The word hits me. Hard.Dead.It doesn’t feel real, even after all these years. It never does.It feels like something is ripping through my chest all over again. Like I’m being dragged back to that moment—standing there, unable to do anything while everything slipped away from me.She’s gone.N
~SARA~ The first thing I do as soon as the car screech into the yard was hop out of it and race into the building. The maids swerve sharply to my direction, eyes widening with shock as I dart pass them. "Miss Jane, You—" "Where is she?" I bark, cutting the nurse off mid-sentence. Alex had rented the house for my mom. I never had time to visit. The nurse points at a room down the hallway and I storm towards it. She hastens after me with Mira trailing behind, protesting. "Miss Jane. I don't think this is a good time. She is tucked in for the night." I get to the room and slam the door open. My mom jerks up at the impact. I step in, eyes scanning around the room, looking for any trace. Any fucking trace. Just one fucking trace to know if the bastard was still around, lurking in the shadows. Hiding. But the only thing that greets back my gaze is the slight glow of the lamp on the drawer besides my mom and the silent hum of the air condition. Mira and the nurse almost cr
~SARA~“Move! Move! Move!” I scream as the jeep behind us roars to life and charges straight at our car.Mira fumbles with the ignition for half a second before the engine finally starts. She slams her foot on the accelerator and the car jerks forward.The jeep rams us from behind.The impact throws me forward in my seat.“Shit!” Mira shrieks.“Drive!” I yell, ducking my head instinctively.“I am driving!”The engine roars louder as she pushes the accelerator harder.I glance at the speedometer, heart pounding. “Isn’t this supposed to be a sports car? Why aren’t you driving faster?”She shoots me a daggers. “Why don’t you take the wheel then!” Then, presses at the accelerator all the way down.The car lunges forward.Under normal circumstances, this speed would scare me to death.Right now?It doesn’t feel nearly fast enough.Behind us—BAM!The jeep slams into us again.Mira screams. “Does this psycho actually want us dead?!”She hits at the accelator and soon, we speed out of the na
~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
~SARA~ How much worse can this day get? For a split second, my brain refuses to understand what just happened. I stand there blinking, stiff as a statue, as the liquid drips down my clothes, soaking into my body. I lift my hand slowly and touch my cheek. Something warm and thick slimes again
~SARA~ I ball my fists so hard that they turn red. “Why," I ask, my voice shaking despite my best effort to keep it level, “did you change my clothes?” He blinks at me slowly. Like I’ve just asked him why the sky is blue. "You stunk,” he says, “Changing your clothes was the right thing to do
~SARA~Ding!The elevator door slides open and I step into the hallway, my heart pounding. The AC is on, but for some reason, heat clings to my skin like I'm in a sauna.The conference room is just a few feet away. A few feet that feels like thousands as I approach it, my legs getting heavier with







