Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

HOPEIt had been three days since the walls of the Mason mansion felt as if they were pressing into my ribs, squeezing out the air I didn’t even realize I was holding.. Three days since I found out Ace had been protecting me and lying to me at the same time… and my brain hadn’t caught up with how I was supposed to feel.Ace? He just vanished.Not physically, he was still in the Enterprise ...but he avoided me with a precision that felt almost surgical.Every time I caught a glimpse of his tall frame across the hallway or the glint of his silver cufflinks at a boardroom door, he ducked into another office or redirected his steps. I didn’t know that avoiding someone could feel this loud.And I hated it. I hated him a little. I missed him more.By the third day, the loneliness felt as if it were bruising me from the inside.So when Bob walked into my office without knocking, the first thing I felt wasn’t irritation, it was relief.He closed the door behind him with his usual nonchalant s

HOPEI watched as Ace drove us to the villa. I have heard about Mason, how ruthless and cold he used to be.I don't even know if I could ever forgive Ace for setting me up this way... No heads up, no time to prepare my mind.After parking in front of the house, an older man who appeared to already be waiting came around and took the keys. The exchange between him and Ace wasn't much, but you could tell they acknowledged each other.Ace led us through the door to the lounge at the far back where a man sat reading the newspaper. I was standing before the Mason... Most feared of the other Cosa Nostra. He practically owned the entire city and now Ace has taken over from the man, but it felt like he still ran the affairs from behind closed doors.I didn't know what to say to the man, I was practically a nervous wreck and Ace noticed. Placing his hand gently on my lower back, he led me to a sofa directly in front of the man. He kept stealing glances at me while pretending to read the papers

HOPEI sat by the window in a run down library somewhere in the city waiting for Malik.We usually met somewhere open, but for some reason he chose this place. It was perfect for me, Ace had one of his men somewhere around the corner.I stared at the children's book in front of me… the evil tiger and the cub.It was weird. Why and how did a baby lion get involved with a tiger? I wanted to know, but I couldn't bring myself to open the book.Maybe the cub was taken and forced to separate from its family… just like I was by Malik. As if sensing himself in my mind, Malik walked in just then and made his way straight to where sat.“Took you long enough to reach out,” he said with a faint smile and sat on the chair directly in front of me.“You wanted something strong on the Masons,” I told him.“You could have still reached out regardless. You didn't miss me at all?” He sipped some of the cola I ordered for myself while I was waiting for him.Oh I did. I missed you so much, I was ready to

HOPEI sat in a van with a few of Ace's men, waiting to hear from Bob and his crew.They were directly engaged with Malik and the agents and all I wanted was to join them, but Ace insisted that I stayed with the back up.As I sat in the van, my entire body was tense and restless. I couldn't stop thinking about something happening to Bob.Communication was cut off thirty minutes ago and the reason couldn't have been Bee… She was too good to make sloppy mistakes.“Are you alright?” One of the men asked me, looking at my legs that couldn't stop bouncing up and down. It was a habit, I always shook my legs vigorously whenever I felt anxious.“Should we go and see if Bob and the rest of the men are okay?” I asked, but they all disagreed.“We better wait,” one of them said.“We've been waiting for over thirty minutes. Communication is down and there's no way to reach anyone,” another said and I totally agreed.Malik could be dangerous. I always knew, but he was like a father to me and I neve

ACEOn the drive back to the mansion, my phone lit up and Cameron flashed across the screen, which was weird. He never calls me and if anything… he always texted.After a few moments of hesitation, I finally picked up.“The villa was discovered,” Cameron said over the phone, sounding distressed.“I was about to get groceries and as soon as I stepped outside, I was swept up by reporters. I managed to get away from them, but I don't know how the information leaked. It's a matter of time before the world discovers your father's illness,” he said and hung up.I had no idea what I expected to hear from Cameron, but it wasn't that.As I drove, I thought about going to the villa, but that would only fuel the rumour. Sitting and doing nothing wasn't an option either as Mason, currently wasn't safe in the villa. The attention of the reporters needed to be diverted and then we could sneak Mason out.“What's up Ace?” Bob interrupted my thoughts train when I didn't say anything after the call.“