Felicia walked out of the kitchen carrying a steaming teapot. Then she carefully placed it on the table and slumped in the armchair opposite the sofa where Raven and I sat. She looked tired after walking a few steps between the kitchen and her living room, as if for her, boiling water had become as exhausting as running a marathon.I could see that Raven watched her closely, most likely catching all of the symptoms of… whatever kind of sickness drained her body. I shuddered at the thought of what must have been done to her to cause such a condition.“I studied to become a nurse, you know?” Felicia smiled wryly as her trembling hand reached for the teapot.“Let me,” I said, hurriedly grabbing the teapot and pouring the tea into our cups.“Thank you,” she muttered and pulled a strand of her dull hair behind her ear. “I met Alistair during my practice at the hospital. I didn't know who he was, and he even pretended to be a doctor just to trick me into giving him my number.” Her lips twit

DARRENIt was after midnight, but I was still in the office in Le Chevalier Noir. I sat by my wooden desk and stared at the laptop screen. I preferred this place over my fancy office at Eques Gold Corporation. The club was more quiet on weekdays, and I was desperate for quiet. It was the only thing that helped me contain the storm inside me.Grinding my teeth, I raised my head above the screen, looking at my friend-slash-partner. “I want a full report on Pearson, and I want it ASAP.” I tried to keep my voice even, but I could feel the claws of rage scratching their way out through my skin.Lucien gave me a meaningful look as he sprawled on the sofa. Still, he grabbed his phone and made a quick call, ordering his men to do what I told him to. The bastard found my anger amusing, and he had been acting this way from the moment he'd learned about my brief encounter with Ms. Hayes at the restaurant.“Don't make me wipe the smirk off your face with my fist,” I warned him.He straightened up

LILLYI might have stopped breathing. No. Correction. I definitely wasn't breathing as I stared at Darren Knight and the hand he offered. Those women who surrounded me were now all turned toward him, each ready to replace me if I refused him. What the hell did he want from me? Was this some kind of trick? A part of his sick plan?Seconds passed, and I kept my gaze on him. My heart pounded as I hectically searched for the right solution. I knew that his gesture and my silence drew attention. This was not supposed to happen. I had never thought that he would decide to go anywhere near me. Him, openly asking for a private conversation with me was another thing I would have called ridiculous just a moment ago. And yet, he stood two feet away from me, smiling, as if our conversation were the most natural thing that could ever occur. Should I just… go with him? No matter how far we would go to have this “private talk,” we'd still be in a public place. He would never plan to harm me after su

I stood in the middle of my father's empty study and shivered. My father had given me a chance, a new life, and his love. I felt as if I had betrayed him just by standing there. It was proof that I didn't believe he was innocent—not entirely. Then there was this hopeful and perhaps naïve part of me that believed it wasn't as simple as all might think. Maybe… Maybe he was protecting someone—something. Or maybe I wouldn't find anything at all because he genuinely had nothing to do with that plane's explosion. I needed that hope, even if my instincts told me otherwise.I moved my feet forward to his desk—a large piece of old wood with carved drawers and side cabinets, all locked. Fortunately, I knew where the key was. The voice inside my head told me to stop before it was too late. It tried to prevent me from opening something that could be as dangerous as Pandora's Box. But it was already too late. I had decided. My hand moved to the wooden surface under the large drawer spread across t

The door opened, and that foolish asshole stepped inside. “Mr. Knight, I appreciate that you agreed to meet—” He cut himself off as soon as his eyes landed on me, his face draining of color. Interesting, amusing even. It seemed like the poor fucker hadn't done his homework. He hadn't known who I was back then at the gala, and he was still too stupid to match the name to the face before he confidently strode into my office. That confidence was now gone, and what stood before me reeked of anxiety. “Have a seat, Mr. Kenneth,” I said simply, pointing at the chair in front of my desk. Kenneth Welch stumbled forward, almost knocking the water pitcher off the coffee table. “I'm sorry,” he mumbled, quickly recollecting himself and walking to the seat I had pointed. His lips twitched into more of a weird grimace than a smile as his eyes landed on me. “I feel… like I need to explain myself.” He let out a nervous chuckle. “That day at the Youngs' gala... I'd been taken by surprise, and you mig