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CHAPTER 55:THE FIRST NORMAL WEEK

Author: Pearl Designs
last update publish date: 2026-09-08 15:08:56

Monday felt weird.

No alarm from the lawyer.

No 6AM call about a deposition.

No security guy trailing us to the coffee shop.

Just coffee.

Toast.

And Damian in sweatpants trying to fix the printer.

This is boring, he said.

Good, I said.

---

We threw ourselves into the library.

Shelves that wobbled got fixed.

The kids section got new bean bags.

We painted the back wall yellow because Lila said libraries should be sunny.

No press release.

No grand event.

We just opened the doors a
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  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S CONTRACT   CHAPTER 64:THE BLOOD

    "It's not human." Agent Reyes said it twice. Like she didn't believe it herself. "The blood in the car. Dog. German Shepherd." Damian and I were at the station. 8AM. Coffee cold in our hands. "But," Reyes said. "We got a hit on the other DNA. From the hat." She slid a folder across the table. Name: Kyle Mercer. Age: 32. Former Cole Industries Security. Dishonorably discharged. Missing: 6 months. "Peterson's guy," Damian said. "Yeah," Reyes said. "He has a record. Assault. Vandalism. Hates the Coles." Damian closed the folder. "Where is he?" "We don't know," Reyes said. "But he just posted something." She turned her laptop. Video. Dark. Mask. Distorted voice. "Cole Library. Tonight. Midnight. It burns." 12 seconds. Then black. --- Mara was already at the library when we got there. Shelving books. She saw our faces. Dropped the book. "What," she said. "Kyle," Damian said. "They found him." Her hand went to her mouth. "No. He said he left

  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S CONTRACT   CHAPTER 63: IT'S NOT JUST US

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  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S CONTRACT   CHAPTER 62:THE CALL FROM PRISON

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  • THE BILLIONAIRE'S CONTRACT   CHAPTER 61:THE PACKAGE

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    The ribbon was on the ground. Yellow pieces. Cut. 100 library cards. Kids laughing inside. Damian reading in a monster voice. And then the engine. I heard it first. Slow. Crawling. Black car. Tinted windows. Stopped right in front of the library. Damian stepped in front of me. Before I could even think. The driver's window rolled down halfway. Dark inside. Couldn't see a face. Couldn't see anything. 10 seconds. Maybe 15. Then the window went up. And the car drove away. --- Inside my chest, my heart was hammering. You okay, Damian asked. Yeah, I said. Liar, he said. Agent Reyes was there in 20 minutes. Pulled the street cam footage. No plates, she said. Windows tinted illegal dark. We’ll run it, but don’t get your hopes up. Same car was here the night of the fire, she added. Different angle. Same make. Same spot across the street. Damian didn't say anything. Just took my hand. Squeezed. --- That night he checked the locks. Three times. Front

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