Semua Bab Empire of Deception: Bab 21 - Bab 30
50 Bab
Chapter 21 : I Like to Read
*Amelia*Adrian had one of his goons bring me back to his penthouse after my meeting with Dr. Sullivan. Naturally, his goon didn't tell me what Adrian was doing or when to expect him home, so I'd been busying myself with catching up on laundry and watching some trash TV.We'd been working non-stop for weeks, and both my mind and body were exhausted. I leaned over and grabbed a dress that needed to be hung up, and the tight muscles in my back protested. I needed to see a massage therapist or a chiropractor sooner rather than later.I was apprehensive to see Adrian, he'd been wound so tightly lately. This case was making him almost unbearable to be around, and the living arrangement we were currently dealing with wasn't going to work for me if he didn't let off some steam. I needed to find a way to get him to lighten up, at least for a few hours. Then, maybe I'd be able to make it through the next couple of months without murdering him.I turned to put my bra and underwear in a d
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Chapter 22 : A Good Girl
*Adrian*I left Amelia in the living room and took the elevator down to the lobby to wait on the food. How did she come up with the idea of us taking the night off tonight? I had worked tirelessly on this case for what felt like forever, and I couldn't afford to let up until it was over. Amelia had been working tirelessly as well, and she felt we both could just have dinner before finishing the night this time, without going through more documents.I wanted to fuck her, of course, but it was more than that. There was something about her that felt familiar to me, and if I was sappy or spiritual, I'd say I'd known her in a past life. We were polar opposites, but somehow that only made me enjoy her company more.A few minutes later, a delivery person arrived with the food. He had two large bags full of Thai takeout. We exchanged pleasantries, and I handed him a hundred-dollar bill, Amelia's insistence that I tip him well still ringing in my ears. I rode the elevator back upstairs an
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Chapter 23 : Paranoia
*Amelia*I woke up sometime through the night alone on the living room floor. Adrian and I had fallen asleep after we had what was the most intense, passionate sex of my life, and I was surprised and disappointed that he was already pulling away from me again.The sex had felt like a breakthrough, Adrian had allowed me to see his vulnerability and humanness, especially in regards to opening up about the death of his father.I was thinking through all of these revelations as I got ready for work. I brushed my teeth and tied my hair back into a simple, sleek bun. I usually didn't wear makeup into the office, but I had an evidence hearing and liked to feel my best on days where I was in front of a judge, so I used brown eye shadow to highlight my green eyes, mascara, and my favorite nude lipstick to pull the look together. Simple, yet effective.I slid the black pencil skirt up my hips and noticed finger bruises on my thighs, Adrian was rougher than any lover I'd had before. I nev
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Chapter 24 : Gossiping
*Amelia*"Knock, knock," Evelyn said as she walked through my office door, "Are you ready? Sorry, I'm a few minutes early. Mr. Arrogant had to leave to meet with someone, so I snuck out."I laughed at her nickname for Adrian and motioned for her to come in, "Yeah, I can be ready in two minutes. Let me send an email, then I'll grab my stuff."I watched Evelyn out of the side of my eye as she walked around my office and looked at some of the photos I had set out. There was one of my mother and me from right after we found out the cancer had come back. Her hair had grown out some from the first round of treatment, and it was the last photo we had taken where she looked healthy. The others are of Nina and me."She was beautiful," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. "Yeah, she was. She passed away a few weeks after that photo was taken.""I'm so sorry, Amelia," Evelyn said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder."It's okay
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Chapter 25 : A Villain
*Adrian*"Amelia is too nice for you," Evelyn said when we got back to my office, "Promise me you won't chew her up and spit her out like you have the last ten women you've been involved with.""You know damn well "nice girls" aren't my type. Amelia and I may have sexual chemistry, but that's all it is. We've been trapped together, and we used each other for temporary stress relief. That's it. Now, can we please stop talking about my sex life? It's not appropriate in the workplace."Evelyn punched my shoulder, "You were just telling me the other day about how you seduced the executive from MID, you just don't want to talk about Amelia because you have feelings for her somewhere in that black heart of yours."I was beginning to get pissed off. I didn't have feelings for Amelia outside of concern and a morose understanding because of our similar losses. I wasn't going to entertain this conversation with Evelyn any longer, so without a word, I left her standing by her desk and shu
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Chapter 26 : An Old Friend
*Amelia’s POV*“Don’t be deceived, Amelia. You only like me because we’re standing on the same side of this case. I am a villain. It would do you well to remember that.”Adrian's words echoed in my head as I tried to sleep last night and all through the following workday. I had no idea if I could trust him, and with everything that was going on, it had left me unsure if he had my best interest in mind. Last night, he had left his cell phone on the counter in the kitchen while he took a shower. I managed to sneak in and send myself the picture of the men that followed Evelyn and me.Now, I wanted to speak with someone impartial to MID and Adrian, and there was only one person that came to mind: James Callahan.I dialed his number and waited for him to answer. Anxiety coursed through me because I knew he'd be intensely concerned for my safety. Not only because of MID and their henchmen that were following me around, but also the proximity the case had caused between Adrian and me
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Chapter 27 : Do You Want Me To Stop?
*Adrian’s POV*Amelia and her cop friend embraced. The man's hands rested on the small of her back, and his eyes lingered on her face as he leaned in. There was a long pause before they finally parted. I felt a fierce jealousy swell up in my chest as I watched them.I had no right to feel this way. Amelia was free to do whatever she wanted, and I had made it perfectly clear to her that I wasn't interested in pursuing anything with her. The sexual attraction we shared was a nuisance, and I knew that we shouldn't have ever gotten involved in that way.The man gave me a hostile look when he saw me, and I grinned voraciously and offered him a small wave. He didn't return the gesture, and stood and watched as Amelia walked to my car."What are you doing here?" She asked when she slid into the passenger seat."I was worried about you," I said honestly, "and wanted to make sure you were safe. Rent-A-Cop doesn't understand the gravity of the situation, and it was stupid of you to lea
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Chapter 28 : Dark Stains
*Amelia’s POV* I worked through reading client testimonies and tried to make sure I was prepared for the next day's juror selection. I had the facts memorized, I knew they were responsible for the injury, but I still worried about the outcome. Law was always unpredictable like that.The first thing I learned when I began working was that you had to prepare for the unexpected. There wasn’t a single case that would come without surprises, and even the most straight-forward case would have twists and turns.I put the paperwork I needed for later that night into my bag, then tidied up my desk and looked out the window. The sun was still up, and there were people milling around the sidewalk. I liked to try and picture what they were here for, some for court dates because they were criminals, others were innocent people like my clients waiting to hear the fate of their cases.My mom and I had always loved ‘people watching’ together. We used to sit in the mall and make up silly stori
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Chapter 29 : Bribes
*Adrian’s POV*I watched Amelia storm out of the diner, and for the first time in my adult life, I felt a little bad about intentionally hurting someone's feelings. I had been doing whatever I needed to secure my spot in the world for so long, that I forgot what it was like to care about others.Amelia was gradually causing me to become vulnerable, whether she knew it or not. My emotions towards her put me at a disadvantage, and I wanted this case to be over quickly. I couldn't risk being pulled away from my work - the life I led was too perilous.I wondered what Amelia would do when the case was over: Would she be able to go back to her old life and forget about me? Or would I be stuck with a pining stalker who couldn't let go of the idea of the two of us having a happily ever after? I couldn’t imagine Amelia going to those lengths, but infatuation made people completely and utterly useless. She looked at me sometimes, and I swear I could see a future with me bubbling under the
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Chapter 30 : Something Sinister
*Amelia’s POV*My heart raced as I waited for what was going to happen next - surely whatever was about to occur wasn't good.The hand over my mouth tightened, and then a familiar voice whispered in my ear, "Shh, Amelia. It's me."My head spun with relief when I heard his voice, but then he let go of me, stepping away from me so that he could look at me properly."What the fuck is wrong with you?" I asked sternly. "You shouldn't have followed me and snuck up on me like that. You know everything that's going on, I thought I was going to be killed."James straightened and gave me a serious look, "I'm sorry. But I don't trust Adrian and his men. I wanted time to talk with you without them breathing down the back of our necks. I have something to show you.""You couldn't have texted me and warned me?" I quizzed him.He shook his head, and his hair fell into his eyes highlighting the handsome boyish charm that exuded from his every gesture, "No. I don't know who’s reading your
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