MasukEarlier that day:Valerie Thorne’s POV:After getting multiple calls from Elara, I finally focused on the report files. The more I read them, the more I knew I had to personally visit certain people, both at sea and grounds. The work was being delayed, followed by some excuses and some casualties. They even mentioned that some people wanted to join other groups. I needed to meet them personally. But Raven was still not here, and I couldn’t bring Reign with me to certain places.Still, I made some calls to Eliot, telling him to manage them for as long as he could.After I was done, I made some more plans to deal with them and several other matters.From time to time, I talked to Reign. She was being cheerful lately, enjoying her company, rather than depending on me, even though she was just almost five months old.Taking a good look at the weather, which was not hot, not cold, just perfect for spending the day out, I decided to work under the shade of a tree today.As Reign lay in her
“Answer what he asked,” One of the burly men pressed against his shoulders.His body shook at the burly man’s touch, and he crawled to my side, “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I just wanted to scare them.”I didn’t interrupt as he cried.“I just… I just wanted them to scare them. I didn’t know those people would escalate that much,” He continued.“You didn’t know?” My brows raised.He shook his head, “I didn’t… I am telling the truth. If I knew… If I knew, I wouldn’t have done this.”“Do you realise how many people died that night?” I asked a moment later.He lowered his face for a moment as he answered, “I am sorry.”“What does your sorry do now?” I roared. For one second, I could believe he was innocent. Apparently, he was, from the way he was behaving right now. It didn’t look like he was lying. Either there was a bigger play behind the scenes, or he was a good actor. But it didn’t matter anymore. What was done had already been done. Nothing could be reversed now.He didn’
The night was heavy. When we finally left the cruise, it was already morning. By the time we reached a safe place, I had lost too much blood. The last memory before closing my eyes was seeing Drake for two seconds. His figure was blurry, but I knew he was there.When I regained consciousness, twenty-eight hours had passed. The smell of antiseptic filled my senses as I slowly opened my eyes. White walls. Plenty of machines were surrounding my body. I glanced out of the window and blinked a few times to clear my vision.A few minutes passed before I noticed two nurses entering my room. They took the reading first without saying a word or change of expression, seeing I was awake. After they were done, they walked out.A moment later, one of the nurses entered the room again, and this time she had an elderly-looking doctor by her side. I didn’t hear what she said clearly, but the doctor frowned deeper.He slowly nodded at her and walked to my side, “How are you feeling now?”“It’s alright
The thought barely processed in my mind when I heard another round of bullets roaring in the air. I didn’t let myself hesitate and slowly bent down to grab the fallen gun. Then, immediately, I rolled behind a steel pillar for my cover to protect myself as the bullet passed the spot where I had been standing a second ago. The air was thick with the smoke of gunfire. The force of impact vibrated through the pillar and then into my shoulder. “They are tightening the circle,” I muttered under my breath.I peeked out slightly to track their movements. Next, I noticed two men on the upper deck. One of them was standing closer to the stairs. The other one was covering him from the open side.There were snipers above and shooters below. It was a perfect kill box.My jaw tightened slightly. It was not bad, but it was not enough. I moved as my chance came. I fired twice in a quick move. I missed the first shot intentionally, which forced the man near the stairs to shift from his position. The
I didn’t respond immediately. I let his words sit between us. It was as if he was offering me something, like this wasn’t anything but a test again.“When?” I asked calmly.“Tonight,” He replied calmly.That fast? Considering the time durations he had given me tasks, it was quicker this time. I didn’t mind it and asked with a sharp gaze, “Where?”“It’s a high level meeting on a private cruise. They are all powerful people, and it includes bigger money but also bigger risks.”“And bigger betrayal,” I added.He smiled faintly as he nodded, “Now you are thinking correctly.”I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on knees, “What’s the catch here?”“There is always a catch,” He began in a smooth tone, “The deal is unstable. Those people don’t fully trust each other. One wrong move could lead to bigger chaos.”“And you still want the deal to get done through me?” I asked.“I would like to see you survive it,” He corrected.He would like to see me survive it. His tone said he had the c
He was standing near the same balcony where we met for the first time that day. His back was facing the hall, and the way the city lights reflected on his body, it made him look even more still and controlled. It was like he hadn’t moved from his position at all.“You’re late,” He said without turning to look at me.“It’s done,” I replied calmly.Then slowly, he turned his body to face me. His gaze scanned over my body, checking for any sign of struggle or so, but there was no visible expression on my face.“That was not a simple task,” He murmured under his breath.“It was never supposed to be,” I correctly answered.For a moment, heavy silence lingered between us. Then he slowly nodded, “Good.”Good! That one word carried more meaning than praise. It meant I passed enough to enter his inner world. It meant I didn’t fail his expectation. It was enough for now. He walked past me and stopped just close enough for his voice to be barely audible to me, “Do you know why I chose you?” He a
The process felt rather slow as the doctor worked on removing the bullet from my back. After he had bandaged and cleaned the blood from my body, I stood up, “Can I see her already?”He nodded. I didn’t wait further and walked out. Walking out felt difficult, but I had handled worse.Soon, I reached
Her words echoed in my mind for a long time. I kept my arm around her shoulder, feeling the warmth of her body against mine. Another moment later, I asked quietly, “What kind of dreams?”She turned her face slightly towards me. “Simple ones. I want to see places, different cultures, and live freely
Raven Blackwood’s POV:The next afternoon, the checkup of Valerie’s was done. The reports came around at night. Only then did both Valerie and I heave a sigh of relief. Everything was fine, and she could finally be discharged tomorrow morning.I had already alerted Max to get the plane schedule by
“Come sit,” I said to her, leading her towards the couch, “It's not good for you to stand for long.”Valerie didn’t resist me and let me make her sit on the couch. After I was done arranging cushions behind her to support her, only then did I look up at Rowan and Axel.“Who did it?” Axel asked from







