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Chapter 97: Shadows That Linger

Author: Nuella King
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-03 03:04:18

Diane’s POV

The bar smelled like spilled beer and betrayal. Dim lights hung low from the cracked ceiling, flickering every few seconds like the electricity couldn’t decide whether to hold on or give up. It was the kind of place where forgotten men gathered, where whispered secrets clung to dusty tabletops and spilled into cheap wine.

Perfect for people like us.

I tugged my coat tighter around my body, more for privacy than warmth, and scanned the room for familiar faces. None. Just broken people with broken drinks in broken chairs.

Then I spotted him—Robert—already seated in a far corner, nursing his second glass of scotch like he owned the world and was bored of it.

I slid into the seat across from him and didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“You’re late,” he said without looking up.

“You’re drunk,” I countered.

He smirked and downed the rest of his glass. “Right on time, then.”

I hated working with him. Hated the sound of his voice, the way he never took anything seriously un
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