تسجيل الدخولKira’s POVThe margin for error was exactly zero.Sitting in the dim light of the Lockwood master suite, I stared at the flashing red alert on my monitor. The Syndicate guards knew the Thallium IV bag had been swapped. Within minutes, Elon Peterson would order Grandfather Arthur moved to an undisclosed, impenetrable location, or worse—he would order the old man suffocated with a pillow to tie up the loose ends.I had to get Arthur out of that hospital tonight.I opened a secure encrypted terminal and fired off a rapid command to Theodore.“Aurelia Actual to Proxy. I need a ghost transport at the Peterson Private Hospital loading dock in exactly twelve minutes. Unmarked, untraceable. Fully equipped for critical life support.”The reply came back in less than ten seconds.Chip: “Logistics routed. We have a black-market med-evac van in the sector. But the hospital is on total lockdown. How are you getting the package to the dock?”Aurelia Actual: “I will open the doors. Just be there.”I
Kira’s POVThe hot water in the marble shower washed away the freezing rain, but it couldn't wash away the bone-deep chill of standing in the same room as Elon Peterson.I stood in the master bathroom, wrapped in a thick silk robe. The mansion was quiet. Aziel had escorted me back to the estate in total silence, the heavy tension between us still crackling in the air. He hadn't asked any more questions about Edward Myles’s supposed blackmail. He had simply walked me to my door, his eyes lingering on me for a stretched second before he turned away.But I didn't have time to dwell on my husband’s smoldering stares. I had work to do.I locked the bathroom door and opened the hidden compartment beneath the vanity sink. Inside was a secure, military-grade biochemistry testing kit I had ordered Theodore to procure three days ago.I pulled the stolen syringe from the pocket of my ruined medical scrubs.I squeezed three drops of the clear fluid from the hospital IV bag into a small glass test
Kira’s POV Aziel’s voice vibrated over the sound of the freezing rain. His forearm was planted firmly against the wet brick wall beside my head, trapping me in the dark alley.Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the beautiful angles of his face. The cold, indifferent billionaire mask I had married was completely gone. The man staring down at me looked like a predator who had finally cornered his prey.His eyes glanced over my stolen blue scrub top and surgical mask hanging loosely around my neck.Denying it would be an insult to his intelligence. He had the Nyx ping. He had the security footage of my custom-cut wedding ring resting next to fifty million dollars in bearer bonds. He had just caught me sneaking out of a rival hospital in the dead of night.My mind raced at a thousand miles a minute. If I told him the entire truth—that I was the Peterson Heiress, that the Shadow King was upstairs, that my past life ended in a fiery car crash—I would sound insane. And worse, I would
Kira’s POVI pressed my back against the cold marble tiles of the bathroom, holding my breath until my lungs burned.Through the tiny crack in the door hinge, I watched the monster who ordered my death. Elon Peterson stood over my grandfather’s bed. He radiated a suffocating, sociopathic authority. He didn't look like a mob boss or a street thug. He looked like a billionaire. Clean, polished, yet utterly ruthless."I brought the updated proxy forms, Father," Elon said, his voice smooth and cold. "Once you sign these, the board will officially transfer full operational control to me. You won't have to worry about the company anymore."Arthur Peterson was a brilliant man. A fraction of a second ago, he was weeping over my mother’s memory. Now, looking up at the man poisoning him, Arthur’s face went completely blank.He let his jaw go slack. A thin line of drool slipped from the corner of his mouth. He stared at the ceiling, his eyes wide and vacant."The birds," Arthur muttered, his voi
Kira’s POVMidnight rain washed the streets of the city.The Peterson Private Hospital stood tall against the dark sky, looking more like a fortress than a place of healing.I stood in a dark alley across the street, shivering slightly in the damp air. I was not wearing custom silk or designer heels tonight. I wore a shapeless blue medical scrubs I had stolen from a commercial laundry van two blocks away.My dark hair was pulled into a tight bun. I wore a light blue surgical mask over my face and a pair of thick, fake prescription glasses. I looked exactly like a tired, overworked night-shift nurse.But a real nurse didn't carry a weaponized clipboard.Tucked inside the plastic casing of my medical clipboard was a highly modified digital tablet. Wires ran from the tablet down my sleeve, connecting to a small signal disruptor hidden in my pocket.I took a deep breath, stepping out of the alley and into the rain.I walked straight through the emergency room sliding doors. The lobby was
Kira’s POVI sat frozen on the edge of my bed, waiting for the door of the master suite to be kicked open.Aziel had seen the ring. He knew exactly who was pulling the strings behind Aurelia Holdings. I braced myself for the confrontation, the shouting, demands, and the unfiltered wrath of a billionaire who hated being manipulated.But the door never opened.The Lockwood mansion remained annoyingly quiet. Aziel was a master of psychological warfare. By not confronting me immediately, he was letting the anticipation tear at my nerves. He was telling me that he held the cards now, and he would play them exactly when he was ready.I took a slow, deep breath and forced my racing heart to calm down.I could not afford to panic over my husband. Not when I finally had the resources to hunt a much bigger monster.Thanks to Aziel’s joint-venture contract, Aurelia Holdings now had the infinite financial backing of the Lockwood Conglomerate. Theodore was setting up our secure physical offices, a
Kira’s POVThe chaos of the ballroom was finally left behind, replaced by the choking silence of the hotel’s executive lounge. Two lawyers stood nervously beside a polished table. Resting in the center was a fifty-page marriage contract. It outlined the strict boundaries of my new life as a Lockwo
Kira’s POV The grand ballroom of the St. Regis Hotel was a sea of white roses. Thousands of blooms hung from the crystal chandeliers, their sweet scent masking the toxic reality of the room. The hall was packed to capacity. Rows of velvet chairs were filled with the city's most powerful business
Kira’s POV The first thing I noticed was that I could breathe. Air rushed into my lungs, fresh air that didn’t taste like smoke, and that didn’t smell like gasoline or burning hair. It tasted clean, cold, and sweet. I bolted upright. My hands flew to my chest, then to my face. I expected to fe
Kira’s POV The first thing I noticed moments before dying was that my sister was smiling as they walked away from my burning car. The rain was lashing against the windshield violently, sounding like handfuls of gravel being thrown against the glass. The mountain road was entirely dark, illumina







