Lena POV
Walking into the office building after so long felt like walking inside a dream. I drew in a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Everything looked so familiar, but so much had changed as well. Being here was reckless, as Nathan had tried to convince me, but it was also important. If we were going to beat Isabella and her goons, we needed allies and all the help we could. As I walked past the offices, I felt an odd sense of nostalgia. Until recently, being here had calmed me. Now all I could feel was worry for Nathan. He'd only agreed to let me come here on the condition that he accompanied him. The idea was that he would stay hidden, and try not to make any fuss. I longed to be in his arms, to have him whisk me away to a place where our lives weren't in danger. It was a silly thought, the thought of a girl, but it persisted. “Lena?” I turned. “David?” He let out a loLena POVI opened my eyes. Slowly, the ceiling filled my entire vision. I groaned. There was a dull pain tingling beneath my temple. Compared to the headache that made me pass out, it was milder, but it was still annoying. I tried to move, and my legs got dangled within the sheets. Underneath, I was topless, wearing only my underwear. The bed I was in was mine — or at least the one I used while I stayed with Nathan. The thought calmed me immediately. If I was here, then it meant I was safe. The window was open, and a cool breeze wafted into the room, stirring the curtains. Outside, I could see the evening sky, the sun buried deep within an orange-tinged horizon. Evening? My thoughts slammed to a jolt. How long had I been out?My jaw felt sore, like I'd gotten punched in it. Thinking was difficult; my thoughts moved glacially, like oil sucked through a straw. I tried to climb out of the bed, and I only managed to ta
Lena POV Walking into the office building after so long felt like walking inside a dream. I drew in a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Everything looked so familiar, but so much had changed as well. Being here was reckless, as Nathan had tried to convince me, but it was also important. If we were going to beat Isabella and her goons, we needed allies and all the help we could. As I walked past the offices, I felt an odd sense of nostalgia. Until recently, being here had calmed me. Now all I could feel was worry for Nathan. He'd only agreed to let me come here on the condition that he accompanied him. The idea was that he would stay hidden, and try not to make any fuss. I longed to be in his arms, to have him whisk me away to a place where our lives weren't in danger. It was a silly thought, the thought of a girl, but it persisted. “Lena?” I turned. “David?” He let out a lo
David POV “Wait. So let me get this straight,” Sebastian said, drawing in a deep breath. “You went behind our backs with plans of your own. You found Nathan and Lena outside their safehouse. You confronted them … by yourself … with no weapon but a single poison dart. You had your associate try to kidnap Adrian, and said associate was then killed by Adrian. And due to your own carelessness, Nathan and Lena escaped.”He rattled each item off the list, counting them off his fingers in a light, conversational tone. Anyone listening to Sebastian would have thought he was being funny. But his eyes were cold and cruel, like a forest in winter at midnight. Isabella sat on a chair at the other side of the room, an ice pack pressed against her head. Every now and then, she would groan, smarting from the purplish bruise that had risen on the side of her head. There was another reason she was groaning though: she fucked up. Big time. I didn't understand their histor
Isabella POV“What are you doing here?” Nathan asked, his voice cold and deadly. I smiled sweetly. “Now, wouldn't you like to know?”His eyes searched mine, full of wariness and, although he tried to hide it, fear. Not for himself though. I could see it in the way he held Lena, trying to shield her with his body to protect her from me. Even now, with both of them in danger, he could only think about saving her.The sight dragged a memory out of the recess of my mind. Had I ever felt such love? Had anyone ever protected me like that? Stupid thoughts. But they soured my mood instantly. “Come on, Nathan, you can relax. Honestly, I'm not going to hurt you. And you, get some clothes on.”Lena glared at me but she didn't flinch. The girl was growing a spine.“Didn't you already try to do that?” Nathan asked as Lena slipped into her dress. I smiled. “Such a smart boy. Well, I won't hurt you now.
Isabella POV(Hours earlier)I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Sebastian, if you're going to keep stomping around, can you at least do it in the other room?”He glared at me, but I held his gaze until the glare weakened. Good. Since his plan to take Nathan out failed, he's had to step carefully. Victoria could be merciless when dealing with failure. From the rageful huff he let out, he knew that as well. “Don’t be so smug, Isabella,” Sebastian said, a cruel smile playing on his lips. “Your plan to take care of Nathan failed as well. You couldn't separate him from Lena, remember? Now, my mother is displeased with me. I know that. But she's just as displeased with you. You need this more than I do.” His eyes lit with malicious pleasure. “After all, we both know how badly you need the shares.”“Fuck you, Sebastian,” I growled. But I knew just as well as he did that he'd struck a nerve. The truth was, neither of our attempts to ha
Nathan POV“All right,” Adrian said as we climbed out of the car. “We have an hour or two before we have to head back to the hotel. Care to explain to me what we're doing here, Nathan?”“Simple,” I said, crossing over to the next street. “Shopping for my girl.”I held Lena's hand in mine, and it felt so natural to be walking with her by my side. Behind us, Adrian let out a loud groan before he ran up behind us.“You do realise,” Adrian said after catching his breath, “that you're not safe out here in the open. None of us are. I know you believe that you've dealt with Isabella and her henchmen of incompetents. But I'd advise you not to try our luck. Heavens know, we have little of it as it is.”My brow furrowed. “We need this, Adrian. I understand your worries and your fears, and trust me, I'm thinking about them. But we need this — Lena, you, me. All of us. The moment we stop trying to live our lives, then they've won, and there