JOSIEI'd had the diamond ring in my purse the entire time, but I hadn't thought I would actually wear it. So why was the blue diamond currently sparkling on my finger? A part of me called it calculated self-protection. With assholes like Ryder around, upgrading my status—even a fake status—granted me an additional level of safety. The rest of me had remained unconvinced for a long time… until I did something I hadn't done before. I watched one of Killian's recent interviews, one where he had been asked about our relationship.I played it on my phone while reapplying makeup. I saw him smile as the reporter asked about me, and I realized there was no lie in his words or expression. My heart began to flutter, and my eyes filled with a glossy layer of tears. He had feelings for me. He had to. Fine, it might not be love, but he did feel something—something that went beyond what had been written in our contract.‘I never lie when I say how amazing you are.’His words rang in my head, filli
Did it mean that our contract no longer mattered? Was this his way of admitting he wanted our relationship to be real? I wanted to ask those questions but couldn't. A second later, we were already surrounded by a group of businessmen eager to talk to Killian. Yep, so much for a much-needed moment of privacy.Judging by the wry smile on Killian's face, I figured he would rather avoid such conversations too. Unfortunately, this was the sole reason we were at this conference. Killian needed to present himself as the potential future CEO of the Blair Consortium. This was one of the ways to build his position. Announcing our relationship was only a tiny bonus, the little cherry on top, almost insignificant to some.Nonetheless, our announcement made a difference, giving me something I hadn't realized before: power. The businessmen who barely noticed my existence in the morning now lowered their heads, kindly asking me to join the conversation. Killian welcomed me by his side, sliding his h
KILLIANI stretched my lips into a well-practiced smile as I walked over to a group of women standing in the corner of the banquet hall. “Good evening, ladies.” I widened my smile, giving the women an elegant bow.Playful giggles sounded before they all replied, adding breathiness to their voices, as if it could possibly make them less repulsive. It was obvious why each of them had come here, and even if I ignored the fuck-me looks they were giving me, their more-revealing-than-covering clothes said all I needed to know.“Was it just my wild imagination, or were you looking at me from across the hall?” I asked, keeping a trained smile on my face.They all giggled again before one of them stepped forward. “It was impossible not to look at a man like you, Mr. Blair,” she said, twisting her lips into a smirk. She tossed her auburn hair to one side and traced her finger from her neck down to her cleavage.I locked my eyes on hers. “What's your name?”“Priscilla,” she breathed out before l
I locked my eyes on Josie. Her hands began to shake, and her chest stretched with fast, uneven breaths.“He wants to tell the truth,” I muttered, reading the text again. “What truth exactly?”She drew a deeper breath and pulled her hair behind her ear. “Maybe… Maybe it's about that sexual assault.” I heard the tremor in her voice, despite her attempts to sound calm. I knew she was anything but. I could only guess what sort of dark thoughts were running through her head.My brows knitted. “It sounds suspicious, don't you think? Why would he want to tell me anything on his own? I was convinced I would have to drag the information out, or rather, beat it out of him.”Josie's lips twitched into a wry smile. “Well, we both saw that he got scared. Maybe he wants to use this as an opportunity to tell you his version of the story.”That sounded reasonable, but we were also talking about a guy who had threatened to kill Josie, and who had been accused of a serious felony. I drew a deep breath
JOSIEFifteen Minutes EarlierI exited the banquet hall and walked through the long corridor, heading to the same café where Killian, Tony, and I had been sitting after Tony's lecture. I climbed the stairs, but the whole upper floor was dark, and the café closed.“Great,” I grumbled. “Now what?”I pulled out my phone and called Tony, slowly walking through the dark corridor. Had he meant some other café? Was there another café on this floor? All those thoughts swirled inside my head as I listened to the waiting signals until the call automatically disconnected. Just perfect. Had he switched his phone to silent mode?A few curses built at the tip of my tongue just as the text came. I sighed in relief, noticing it was from Tony.“The café is closed, but I found another place. Walk to the opposite side of the corridor. The last door on the left.”My brows knitted. Something felt off. Why would he make me walk through the entire floor when we could simply meet downstairs among people? Dra
KILLIANI stormed through the corridor by the banquet hall, heading to the staircase. Ryder was following me. I remembered that Josie mentioned she and Tony were supposed to meet in the café right above the auditorium, so that was our first place to check. I wanted to be wrong. I wanted her to sit somewhere with Tony, laughing at my paranoid behavior, but deep down I knew she was in danger. If that fucker had come here, he'd gone straight for her…“You should have kept your brother on a tight leash!” I roared, running upstairs.“I tried!” Ryder snarled. “I made sure he wouldn't know you or Josephine are here.”A dry chuckle escaped me. “Guess it didn't work out well, did it?”“Fuck you, Killian!” he snapped.I spun around, grabbing his collar and slamming him against the wall. “Your brother should have been rotting in jail, but you and your father helped cover all his deeds. If Josie gets hurt because of him, I'll make sure your entire family pays for this.”Ryder swallowed, slowly ra
Josie hadn't woken up for the next fifteen hours, and the anxiety within me rose. The doctors said that the problem might go beyond her physical injuries and be caused by trauma. That was understandable. That fucker had wanted to rape and kill her, and she'd defended herself, ending up killing him in self-defense.I hadn't talked to Ryder since we'd seen each other at the precinct. I knew that he was torn between the need to mourn his brother and the relief I'd seen on his face. At the precinct, he'd assured me he would testify in Josie's favor. She was the victim, and I would seriously damage anyone who dared claim otherwise.Tony's condition had improved. His head stopped spinning, and the throbbing pain decreased. He was still under observation, but he used that time to work on his laptop while lying in bed. He had also replaced me by Josie's side a few times, insisting I showered and slept for at least an hour or two. I reluctantly agreed, knowing that I needed to be focused and pr
JOSIEThe faint be-ping sound pulled me out of my unawareness. I felt as if I were slowly rising from the depths of the cold, dark waters to the surface. The pain struck a moment later. It seemed to flood my entire body. I groaned—or at least I thought I did—as I struggled to open my eyes. The light hurt, perhaps even more than the radiating pain. Sensing everything at once was overwhelming, but then I felt something else… A touch. Someone's warmth. Killian… He was sitting by my bed. He was holding my hand. I slightly lifted my head and stretched my lips, trying to smile at him.“Josie?” I heard his hoarse voice, and my chest tightened.“Killian…” My voice cracked, and a hot tear fell down my cheek.“Don't cry, my little daredevil,” he whispered, leaning over and kissing the place marked by the tear.That, of course, made me cry even more, and I couldn't stop the tears I shed. They were like a waterfall of emotions; they were unstoppable. Killian gently pulled me up and wrapped his ar