KILLIANThe supposedly best tech guy in the security team walked into my office, wearing a slightly annoyed expression—an attitude similar to the one his superior had had a few hours ago. But that was, of course, before my conversation with him. When the chief of security walked out of my office, he was thoroughly pissed. I didn't expect this conversation to go any better than the previous one…He was in his thirties. He had ruffled brown hair and a few days' stubble. He didn't bother wearing security's team uniform, replacing it with a gray button-up shirt and something that might have been easily mistaken for sweatpants. I had yet to determine whether this guy was that bold or stupid.“Mr. Donovan, you know why I called you here.” I pointed at the seat in front of my desk. The man sat down and nodded.“You wanted me to find a ghost.” He tossed his ankle over his knee and leaned back in his seat. “I know that Ms. Clairmont thinks she saw something, but that doesn't make this guy real
I watched Yan Hao prowl toward his seat, flanked by Estelle and Ryuu. My father lingered by the door for a few more heartbeats before striding to the opposite side of the table. I glanced at Kaiden and saw his jaw clench, his eyes locked on Ryuu, who was currently eyeing him with a lazy grin. Then my eyes drifted to Estelle. She was giving the shareholders her trained smiles—either seductive or docile. She was here to present the pleasant-for-the-eye side of the company—an easy-to-buy fake mask.My father straightened up in his seat and meaningfully cleared his throat. “Some of you demanded this meeting because they had certain... issues concerning the merger between Blair Digital and Diamond Dragon Entertainment. Our guests came here today so we could discuss those matters so you could accept our future collaboration.”“With all due respect, Mr. Blair.” Mrs. Rendall slowly rose to her feet. “I don't find your choice of words appropriate. You insinuate that there's only one possible w
Yan Hao strode out of the conference room as soon as the voting results had been announced. Ryuu, stayed a little longer, surveying the room as if he were taking notes. He disappeared into the corridor as soon as he finished... whatever he had been doing. Estelle looked at me reproachfully, as if I were the one responsible for it. Surely, she must have known that without the merger, our engagement was over. Finally, she stepped toward me, her hands fisting.“It's not over,” she strained through her clenched teeth. “I won't let you ruin this for me.”My brows rose. “Ruin… what exactly?”“You still don't get it, do you?” An angry smirk appeared, and something feral gleamed in her eyes. “You can either find happiness by my side, or you will lose everything... and everyone.”Her outright threat triggered all kinds of violent urges within me. I inched closer, dipped my head, and whispered in her ear, “Be very careful, Estelle. Otherwise, you'll get the treatment I plan to give your stepfat
JOSIEI kept pacing around our office, thinking, trying to put the pieces together. My mind was overloaded with grim thoughts. Our system was supposed to be impenetrable, and yet the image presented in the article looked so real...“The reporter claims that his informant found that offer and the ‘free sample’ on one of the dark web forums,” Ashley said.I bit the inner side of my cheek. “Someone might have put it there just to bait the press,” I mused.“That's possible,” Kei agreed before turning to Ashley. “Do we know how much this seller wanted for the database?”“One million,” Ashley said, smiling grimly. “The offer disappeared after an hour. We don't know if it was because someone bought the database.”“It would have been easier if the reporter gave us the name from the formula in this ‘free sample.’ We could at least verify whether or not this user actually exists,” Martin grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.“He can't.” Ashley gave him a look. “It's all because of the prot
I strode through the corridor, heading to the conference room where my trial had already started... without me. It must have been convenient to throw accusations when I wasn't there to defend myself. Cowards.All Blair Digital board members demanded this meeting, so Killian had no choice but to agree. As the CEO of the company, he was supposed to be neutral and calmly evaluate whether the board's arguments were reasonable or not. All for the sake of the company. I knew that once I entered that room, I would be on my own.Brandon McConnell's snarling tone boomed across the long corridor, not even the meeting room's thick door could stop it. The words were muffled, but I was certain that all his vicious sounds were aimed at me. I decided that knocking was unnecessary, so I just turned the door handle and entered.“—yet you placed some idiotic hopes in the hands of an immature wench who knows nothing about business!”I closed the door behind me, and all heads snapped toward me. McConnell
I stared at the man before me, the man who looked so much like Killian. Even in this simple chair, he resembled a king—a powerful ruler facing his subject. Whenever I appeared in front of him, I saw the stunning confidence and strength, but now all I sensed was tension and exhaustion.I gave him a wry smile. “I was just about to leave…”“I wouldn't have come here if it hadn't been important and urgent,” he said tightly, gesturing at the three-piece suite for me to sit in.I eyed him warily before walking over to the sofa. He followed me and sat in front of me. Faint tendrils of irritation clawed their way out to the surface, finally pushing the words out of my throat. “Mr. Blair, I know you don't like me. This was a long and seriously crappy day for me, and if you want to say something that could annoy me beyond the nonsense I heard from some of the board members—”“I didn't come here to argue or insult you,” he stated calmly. “However, I'm afraid you won't find my words... pleasant.”
I told Killian I had one more thing to do before I went back to my apartment. I needed time to calm down and clear my head. I had promised I wouldn't tell Killian about my agreement with his father, but that didn't mean I would keep my friends in the dark as well. My team had the right to know what was about to happen, and I was about to tell them...The emergency meeting was taking place in Ashley's and Aaron's apartment. I waited until everyone, including Aaron, was present. We all sat in the living room. Ashley and I sat on the sofa. Mancy and Kei took the chairs on the opposite sides of the coffee table while Martin and Aaron decided to sit on the fluffy carpet in front of the sofa.Then I told them about the conversation I'd had with Maxwell Blair. I described what I'd seen in the pictures—Yan Hao's army. When I finished, silence filled the room. It lasted for about a minute or two. It was Mancy who spoke first.“I want to see your agreement,” she demanded. “As a lawyer, I cannot
KILLIANI unwrapped Josie layer by layer until I could fully admire every stunning inch of her skin. Then I laid her down on the bed and traced every peak and valley with my fingertips. I could feel the gentle shiver coursing through her as I reached the curve of the breasts. Then my mouth replaced the fingers, and I took my time worshiping the sensitive pink skin of her nipples. She moaned as I nibbled on the hardening peak, and I couldn't help but smile.Her hands restlessly traveled down, gripping the hem of my tee and dragging it up. Chuckling softly, I pulled it over my head. She bit her lip as her fingers explored my chest and abdomen as if she wanted to memorize every muscle in my body. Her expression changed suddenly, and she sucked in a sharp breath.“What's wrong?” I whispered, lowering my head to kiss her.Her lips stretched into a smile, but her eyes filled with sorrow. “I love you,” she murmured.My brows knitted. “That's not an answer.”“Nothing's wrong,” she muttered, h