All Chapters of REBEL : THE DEADLY HIERESS: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

DANIEL The weariness gnawed at me like a thick grey cloud, thick and grey, clinging to my skeleton. Hours upon hours of consecutive meetings had sucked the life out of me, and all I craved was to go home, pour scotch into a glass, and just sit—dark and I. Maybe even read a book if my eyes wouldn't get too heavy before that. But of course, Klaus would not allow me that respite. "You're going to the gala, Daniel," he'd shouted at me in the previous moment, with that voice you can't resist because he'll wear you down until you've fulfilled what he had wanted. "This is your gala. Do you know how it will go if you don't go?" And here I was. Left stranded in a ballroom that was an Emerald City but could just as well have been a prison, surrounded by artificial smiles, rehearsed laughter, and the sort of dialogue that held no sense and had a high cost. Klaus nudged me, growling like a cross parent chastising a child. "Smile." You're at a wake, not a party. I smiled, rigid and plastic, the ki

DANIEL There was an air of riches, extravagance, and deceit about the huge ballroom. Once more, my parents had organised one of their notorious high-society gatherings, bringing together the world's most influential individuals. But none of that matters to me at all. For the past two years, finding one woman—Rebel—had dominated my thoughts, my life, and my very being. Every time I believed I had her, she slipped through my fingers like an ethereal ghost, haunting me. She eluded my guys, the world's top trackers, who searched every nook and cranny on the planet. A phantom, a ghost, an assassin. She was more than her profession, though, in my opinion. I had her. My patience ran out tonight. I rejected all of the eligible women my mother had practically paraded in front of me. The piercing, burning energy of Rebel was unmatched by any of them. I stood at the bar and allowed the phoney laughing and shallow chatter to wash over me as the night wore on, drowning my annoyance in wine. Then

DANIELThere was tension so thick in the air, it was as if one could cut it with a knife. Rebel had been a whirlwind for three months since she arrived in my life, sneaking out, evading guards, and testing every limit I set. But I did think that finally she'd begun to understand that she wasn't a prisoner; her safety was simply not up for negotiation. Her previous organization had been brutal, and the coded signals we had intercepted had guaranteed us that her latest mission was to kill me. The irony was that she did not even realize it, or at least did not show it. Her movements of the past couple of days had been unusual. Silent. Too silent. It was not like her, and I did not think so. My second-in-command, Klaus, had discovered a lead: a man named Michael had been desperately trying to reach her. Only the name had made her pull further inside herself, blank-eyed into space. Michael was her adopted father, Klaus's investigation revealed. But I could sense that it wasn't the entire s

REBELPiece by piece, the parasite gnawed away at my patience. Not the marble flooring, the lavish chandeliers, or even the dizzying city vistas from the penthouse windows, but rather being imprisoned in this rich jail, choked me. He was the one. Daniel. His obsessive urge to keep me "safe," his all-consuming infatuation, and his continual monitoring Secure? From what? The entire world? Me? He was unable to comprehend. Then there was his devoted friend Michael, who had likewise determined that I needed to be protected and pampered. Every move I took and every breath I took was tracked by the two of them. Months had passed. Months of oppressive attention to detail, guards following me like shadows, and Daniel's refusal To give me even a moment of solitude. However, tonight was different. Daniel had a crucial meeting that he was unable to cancel for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. His second-in-command, Klaus, was left to watch me while he was away. Klaus with his hundre

HAILEYThrough the curtains, the evening light created a lovely glow, but the tension in the room was anything but mild. The hours I spent entangled in Daniel's arms left my body hurting. I was left feeling exhausted and hurt by his unrelenting enthusiasm, which was a combination of possessiveness and desperation. It felt like he was reclaiming me with each touch and word he uttered as if he was afraid I would elude him. I didn't put all the blame on him. Even though I meant to protect him, I had set off his deepest insecurity. Daniel's intense affection for me was accompanied by a risky fragility. I was his greatest asset and his unwavering compass, but I was also his weakness. Klaus came in with news that sent a chill down my spine: "Your father sent someone to assist us," Klaus said, his tone carefully neutral, "His name is Robert." Daniel wouldn't let me leave his sight. He carried me when I needed to use the restroom, insisted on helping when I tried to bathe alone, changed me i