LOGIN~~~Lincoln~~~I opened my eyes slowly, the bright hospital lights stabbing straight into my brain. My chest felt like it had been smashed with a sledgehammer. Bandages were wrapped tight around my torso, pulling with every breath. An IV dripped into my arm. My whole body ached like I’d been hit by a truck.I must’ve been out for hours.I tried to sit up, groaning as pain ripped through me.A nurse rushed over immediately, gently pushing me back down. “Easy, Mr. Lincoln. You need to stay calm. You’ve been through major trauma.”I winced, breathing shallow. “How long was I out?”“About six hours,” she said softly.I nodded, trying to piece the memories together. The bank. The armed robbers. The chaos and sprinklers. That calm girl who grabbed my arm earlier. I took a bullet for her. I still didn’t fully understand why. Maybe because she looked brave as hell even when scared. Or maybe because she was pretty. Either way, it was done.Just then, loud voices exploded outside the room.A wom
~~~Ryder~~~I was in Shanghai when the news hit.I was in the middle of a tense meeting with some Chinese investors when Devon leaned down and whispered urgently in my ear.“Boss. Malik reported Armed robbery at Aurelia Bank. Freya’s inside.”Everything inside me went cold.I didn’t say a word. I pulled out my phone and opened the news app with a swipe. The headlines hit like a punch to the gut.Breaking: Armed Robbery at Aurelia Bank – Multiple Hostages Taken.Freya had told me on our video call last night that she was heading there with Zoey today to deposit some of the jewelry I’d given her.I stood up so fast the chair behind me clattered to the floor. The room went silent.“Meeting’s over,” I rasped, voice flat. I was already walking out, Devon right on my heels.The jet was in the air within forty minutes. The entire flight back felt like hell. I kept refreshing every news site, jaw locked so tight it hurt.“…multiple hostages still inside… reports of gunfire… a famous celebrity
~~~Lincoln~~~I waited for the right moment. One robber was yelling at a crying woman. I hit the vase first to create a noise to a different direction, then I raised my wrist, angling the watch so the light from the overhead lamps hit it perfectly, creating a blinding flash right in his eyes.“Hey, asshole! Over here!” I shouted.The robber spun toward me, gun raised. “What the fuck—”That’s when calm girl moved.She crawled fast to the old fire suppression panel on the wall and slammed her hand on the emergency trigger.The alarms blared instantly — loud, piercing sirens. Sprinklers exploded to life, raining water down on everyone. The robbers panicked, shouting and slipping on the wet floor.“Go!” I yelled.Loud-mouthed darted low, cutting ropes with a shard of broken glass she’d grabbed, freeing hostages as fast as she could. Calm girl sprinted toward the back emergency door, trying to unlock it.Chaos everywhere. People screaming, slipping, running. One robber fired a wild shot in
~~~Lincoln~~~Fuck my life.I just got back from my concert in Germany three days ago. I didn’t even want to leave the house today. Fans are insane — one sighting and I’d be surrounded, suffocating, phones in my face, screaming my name. But no. Mom insisted I had to deposit her expensive jewelry collection. She forced me to wear this stupid mask so no one would recognize me.And look where that got me.The mask slipped off the second I bumped into those two clumsy girls earlier. Now here I am, tied up on the cold bank floor like a fucking hostage in one of those bad action movies.I could hear the robbers shouting orders, guns waving around. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would crack my ribs. This was supposed to be a quick, low-key errand. Not this bullshit.Then I heard two familiar female voices struggling nearby.“Leave me alone! Don’t fucking touch me!”I twisted my head and looked over. It was them. The two pretty but annoying girls from earlier — the one who grabbed
~~~Freya~~~My life is actually easier. Peaceful, even.After that messy afternoon at the café, Dylan just vanished. No calls. No texts. No pathetic attempts to show up at my door. Not that I wanted him hovering around like a lost dog, but it was weird how completely he disappeared. Either way, I cut every single tie with him. Good riddance.Ryder, on the other hand, has been spoiling me like crazy lately. Especially with jewelry. Fucking Christ, the pieces he gets me are stupid expensive — gold, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds… I can’t even name half of them. I love them, but keeping that kind of stuff at home makes me uneasy. Yeah, I know I’m safe with the army of hefty bodyguards Ryder assigned me since he traveled out of the country two nights ago for business purposes. A fly couldn’t sneeze on me without them knowing. Still, I want them properly secured for the future.That’s why Zoey and I are at the bank right now, heading toward the private attendant.“Hey babe,” Zoey nu
~~~Freya~~~When I opened my eyes again, a sharp, brutal throbbing slammed into my head. It felt like someone had dropped a fucking boulder on my skull and left it there.I groaned and squinted against the light. I glanced at my surroundings. I was back home — in Ivory Heights, in my own bed. Ryder was sitting right next to me, worry carved deep into his handsome features. Zoey stood by the bedside, arms crossed, looking just as concerned.I tried to sit up. “Ow… fuck.”“Careful,” Ryder said quickly, his strong hands gently helping me up. “Easy, bunny.”I nodded, rubbing my temple. “I’m fine… I think.”His eyes searched mine. “Are you sure?”I nodded again. “Hmm…” “What happened there bunny??”What happened?Ooh.The memories rushed back all at once.The coffee shop. Dylan showing up drunk. Him grabbing my wrist. Him saying Ryder was married.Ryder is married?My stomach twisted painfully at the memory.I shifted my eyes to Ryder, confused. I've known him long enough now. Our relatio
Freya's POV "Stand up," he commanded, his voice dark and rough with barely restrained desire. I obeyed, rising on trembling thighs, knees weak, heart hammering against my ribs like it wanted to come out of my chest. My body felt foreign, liquid, like it no longer belonged to me. Every nerve endin
Freya’s POVI froze the moment the email notification popped up on my phone.My eyes stayed glued to the screen as my heart skipped a beat, my brain struggling to process the words staring back at me.“Congratulations. You have been selected for an interview.”For several seconds, I just stared at
Chapter 10: Get out! Ryder's POV The bathroom door slammed behind me with enough force to rattle the frame. The sound echoed in the small space like a gunshot. I stood there for a second, dripping, still half-hard, cock slick and heavy with her. Freya’s sweet, musky scent clung to me unmistakable
Ryder's POV I hadn’t been able to get her out of my head since that night.The moment she left my house, still flushed, still trembling, still carrying the scent of me on her skin, something shifted inside me, something I couldn’t name and didn’t want to examine. I told myself it was just sex. Jus







