Semua Bab MISTRESS OF THE GAME: Bab 21 - Bab 30

MARIEThe night gave mixed feelings, sweet, scary and slow, dangerous enough to catch you if you weren't careful.Sunny leaned towards me more and more with every hand he lost. His laugh was loose now, his eyes glassy. We sat side-by-side at the poker table, our knees brushing under the velvet-draped surface, and every time I smiled at him, he melted a little more into whatever fantasy he thought he was buying."Sheila..." he slurred, swirling the last of his whiskey in his glass. "I feel like I’ve met you before."My heart slammed hard against my ribs. For one terrible second, I forgot how to breathe.But then I laughed, light and flirtatious, flicking his arm playfully. "Maybe in your dreams, handsome," I said, letting my voice drip with enough sugar to kill a man. "Some people just have those faces, you know?"He chuckled, sloshing whiskey onto the edge of the table. I leaned closer, the black fabric of my dress brushing against his expensive, wrinkled shirt. God, I hoped he stayed

XAVIER STORMAfter a long day at work, I felt tired and sweaty, even though I was in an air-conditioned room. I stepped into the house, and it was quieter than usual. I knew Else was here. She was probably in the kitchen, humming, just like she usually did.But tonight, I couldn’t stop thinking about Marie. She went into the casino, stepping into a dangerous place, I was anxious for her safety and the outcome of her task. I hadn’t heard from Dante yet, so I knew she was still working. She was still pretending to be someone else, still taking life endangering risks.I unbuttoned my shirt, feeling the heat from the day. I poured myself a glass of whiskey and drank it without ice. It burned, but it helped me focus for a moment. Then the questions came back.Who leaked the bid for the L-Lounge?I hadn’t even sat down when my phone buzzed. It was Dante.“She’s in. All is set.”I replied right away: “Good. Keep y

XAVIER STORMThe chauffeur took off without a word, rushing toward the hotel’s security office to get the camera footage. I didn’t wait. I stormed into the suite, every step loud with fury. Marie had done it, got the proof. But she also disappeared. That stung more than I wanted to admit.I tossed the drive onto the table, pacing back and forth. My fists were clenched tight. I should be relieved. We had what we needed to bring Sunny down. But I couldn’t relax. Not with Marie gone.My phone buzzed. The chauffeur."Sir," he stammered, "they won’t let me access the footage. They said it’s against hotel policy."My anger exploded. "Put one of them on the phone. Now."He hesitated. "They refused. They said no external parties without clearance.""I’ll get them clearance," I snapped and ended the call.I dialed the hotel owner. He picked up after a few rings. "Xavier, it’s late. This better be good."

XAVIER STORM I sat at the edge of the couch, elbows on my knees, eyes fixed on the darkened TV screen like it might flicker to life and explain how the hell she’d pulled another one on me. The suite was silent except for the low hum of the surveillance equipment Bull’s team had set up earlier, black cases on the table, headsets tossed on the couch, one of the guys sipping from a can of Red Bull, another adjusting the signal repeater. Idle. Restless. Waiting for a trace that wasn’t coming. Because she was gone. Vanished after the drop. I stared down at the flash drive in my hand, the one she’d handed over to my driver like a good little soldier, then poof off-grid. No phone signal. No appearance on any of the external traffic cams we had on sweep. She had made one mistake, though, paying for that Inn with a transfer. The document was clean. Devastating. Sunny was mine now; all I needed was a forensic accountant to dumb it down for boardroom rats in case Sunny tried to lie his way

MARIEI’d never driven a truck before. Not one this size, anyway. The steering was stiff, the brakes slow to catch, and the whole thing roared like a beast trying to shake off its reins. My fingers clung to the wheel as I kept glancing into the rearview mirror, I could hear my heartbeat louder than the engine itself.But there was nothing yet. No Dante. No black suits. No, Xavier Storm. I didn’t trust silence anymore. Silence was just the inhale before the scream.The morning sun had fully broken through now, rising with a glow that wound across the horizon. It lit up the empty road ahead of me and made the side of my ribs throb with every bump in the road. The cut. I’d forgotten how bad it was until now, that the adrenaline began to wear off and pain crept back in.I looked down briefly. Blood had soaked through the side of the dress and left dark patches on the fabric. The pain was sharper now, raw, and pulsing. I gritted my teeth and pushed