Neriah's POV
The name slipped out before I could stop it. My voice barely sounded like mine. He turned his head just slightly — not too fast, not too slow — and gave me that same infuriatingly cocky smile I hadn’t seen in six years. “Long time, sweetheart,” his lips tilted up and he winked at me. His eyes were perfectly calm, with a dangerous confidence gleaming in his orbs. His arm stayed raised, steady, aimed directly at the assassin’s skull. I didn’t know what was more terrifying — the gun or the man holding it. The assassin’s jaw twitched. “Please, don't… don't shoot,” he stuttered. Then slowly, he lowered his weapon and raised both hands in surrender. Denver stepped forward and, with one swift kick, he sent the assassin’s gun skidding under the bed, without ever breaking eye contact with me. With a lazy smile perching on his lips, he turned to the assassin and asked. “So, what’s it gonna be, huh? Three million dollars or your funeral?” He said it like he was asking someone to pick between coffee or tea. The assassin grinned widely, exposing a chipped tooth. “I’ll settle for the money—” Bang! The sound shattered through the room like a plane crash. My ears rang and my heart dropped. I screamed and shoved the bed cover over my head. “Open your eyes, sweetheart,” Denver's voice drawled. My hands shook vigorously as I pulled the cover down. My eyelids fluttered open and I was greeted by the sight of the assassin’s body dropped to the floor like a ragdoll. A pool of blood spread fast across the tiles, staining everything in red. He was dead. Shot right between the eyes. “What... what the hell did you just do?” I gasped, every word trembling out of my mouth. Denver didn’t flinch. “I killed him.” No remorse. No hesitation. Like it was nothing more than taking out the trash. “You… you murdered someone!” He shrugged. “Eh. Assassin, technically. Let’s not act like he was a school teacher.” He pulled a white handkerchief from his breast pocket, wiped the blood spatter off his cheek, then casually walked over to the desk chair, sat down, and crossed his legs like we were about to have tea. I couldn’t breathe. My hands were shaking. My stomach twisted and he just sat there like a demigod! “Now that the inconvenience is out of the way,” he said calmly, “let’s talk.” “Talk?” I blinked at him. “Denver. You just shot a man in the head in a hospital room.” He grinned. “Come on, Neriah. Don’t act so new. You married a Chadwick, remember? Dead bodies are practically a family tradition.” He wasn't lying but still I couldn't get myself to just act like this was normal. I stared at him, disgust and confusion battling for first place. “Denver, the last time I checked, you’re supposed to be dead.” He chuckled and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Same as you, Neriah. Your loving husband just pronounced you dead on national television, remember?” I froze. Anger glazing every oxygen in my lungs. He'd watched the news. Hearing it from him, though — from someone whom I hated with every fiber of my being— burned more than anything. “But here we are,” he continued, flashing a toothed smile. A couple of ghosts... reconnecting.” I sucked in a shaky breath, and folded my arms tight across my chest. “Why are you here?” “To offer you a second chance.” I stared at him like he’d just spoken in tongues. “What? Second chance at what, exactly?” “Life. Revenge. Freedom.” He smiled like he had a secret tucked behind his teeth. “Pick your poison.” My heart was beating so fast I felt it in my throat. “And what do you want in return?” He leaned back, and dragged his fingers through his thick dark hair, then he gave me that smile. The one I’d almost fallen for six years ago. “Let’s get married,” he said, biting his lower lip.NERIAH'S POVI can barely feel my legs as I walk down the hall. Each step is slow and heavy, like I’m dragging invisible chains behind me. I haven’t eaten all day, but I doubt I could have, even if I tried.My fingers are numb around the laptop I'm clutching. My throat is tight, still raw from holding back tears I refused to cry in front of Denver. I signed away ten years of my life this morning. Ten years. For what? A job? Survival? A place to sleep?I keep my eyes low, afraid they’ll give me away if anyone so much as looks at me. I don’t want to see pity in anyone’s face. Not after what Gia did. Not after how Denver just... watched. Unmoved...As if I deserved it.As if I deserve any of this. When I finally glance up, it’s only to get my bearings. But then I freeze. Through the glass conference room ahead, I see Gia. She’s shaking hands with someone tall and broad-shouldered. He's wearing a fitted navy suit and he's relaxed...almost arrogant.I know this build. Almost immediately,
DENVER'S POV I’m halfway through reviewing the Q3 projections when the door slams open without a knock.It's Neriah. “And when did you start barging into my office like this?” I ask, running my gaze over her from head to toe. She looks wild-eyed and disheveled, like she's on the run from something hideous. She stops in the middle of the room, blinking like she’s trying to pull herself together but failing. “I... I'm sorry. I just... I'm just..."I raise a brow. “And why are you just getting here? It’s past noon.”Her eyes glisten. She opens her mouth, then clamps it shut. When she speaks again, her voice is small. “Gia came into my room this morning and told me to leave the house. She had the butlers pack up my stuff.”I stare at her trying to register why she's sharing this piece of information with me. Of course i know Gia asked her stuff to be moved, I gave the go ahead when Gia suggested it last night. “She said I wasn’t welcome in the house anymore...." She continues. I've ne
DENVER'S POV I've never seen her so pissed. I'd looked into the large amounts of monies Neriah had talked about and asked for a meeting with Gia. I never expected that she'd be so furious with the idea that she was mismanaging the company's funds. "I let you bring her in. Not to insult me, but so I could help you achieve your dreams." She's tapping her feet incessantly on the floor. I hate it when she does that. "What was it you said again? Yes...you want to be the Denver Chadwick Liam deprived you of. This is how you become him? By biting the very hands that have upheld you?" My fingers rub at my temple in circular motions. I never suspected that she was manhandling the company's funds but since Neriah was the financial expert I decided to heed her concerns. "Gia...Baby, I'm sorry. I trust you completely and I don't harbor any ill ideas towards you. I was just trying to implement what Neriah suggested."She swirls around with such force that I'm scared she'll fall. Especially in
DENVER'S POV They still haven't found it. Liam's smart, but not smart enough to keep something hidden so carefully. Someone must have alerted him. Maybe that Laura girl's snooping has made him know that his ledger isn't safe anymore. If I don't find the ledger, I can't find dad's will. Inhaling deeply, I rise to my feet, walking from my work space to look out the window at the tranquility of the premises. I'd have chosen to let Liam go and just focus on building my company, but after what he did to Neriah, I just couldn't sit back. I'm not doing this for her, no. She just gave me a better reason I shouldn't forgive that bastard, and by God, I won't. Even after getting my revenge. Knocks jerk me back to reality. Turning around, my brows cringe as Neriah walks into the office. She's in a longer skirt today, but this one's hugging every bit of her frame. It's worse than the short one. My throat constricts dryly as I swallow. I drag my eyes away from her thighs and try to keep them
NERIAH'S POV I've always known I shouldn't judge a book by its cover but this book...Gia.... she's totally readable. She seems to me like a spoiled brat who's had the world at her feet forever. She's walking towards me now, and all that's on my mind is how she's managed to hold Denver down for so long.When she knocked at my room door last night, I'd set my defenses up in case she wanted to fight, but surprisingly, she came to ask when we could share a cup of coffee. "Hi," she's almost breathless. Anyone would be, walking in the inches she wears daily. "Hi." There's a fake smile plastered on my face. I wonder what it is she wants. I'd have asked to see her after what Denver said but I wasn't sure I owed her my life yet. "Sorry I'm late, I've been trying to fix that presentation with Maya since yesterday." "What presentation?" She jerks her shoulder in a shrug, "Let's not talk about work on a date." Then winks at me. A date? I nearly burst into laughter. "So this....date..." A
DENVER'S POVI'm not the type of man who falls for a woman. It's always the other way round.When I was fourteen, two different girls in school beat themselves up because they both had crushes on me. When I was fifteen, I dated a girl twice my age. At seventeen, I had three different girlfriends; one at school, one at church and one in the next apartment. At nineteen, I'd lost count of who the women in my life were. Except my mom, of course. It's completely safe to say I've never been crazy about any woman. Maybe excluding Gia. But I'm not even crazy about her. That's why it's surprising that I'd take one look at Neriah and lose all sense of reasoning. God, I just wanted to pin her to that table and slam into her from behind until her thighs tremble from exhaustion. I don't understand this feeling. The fact that she once belonged to Liam should irritate the hell out of me. Heck, it always did, but not anymore. Not now that she's only a couple of rooms away from me. Sighing, I gr