Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Raine"Do you think this will save your world?"Cassian Ashcroft's tone was low, but its sharp edge resonated through the glass walls of the boardroom. I looked away from the contract, my heartbeat pounding hard enough to be heard. Outside, the city lights faded into dusk; within, every deep breath felt tension-charged, as though the room held its breath to itself, holding all its participants in suspense.I pressed my fingers into the sleek table, and the chill of the surface stability met my trembling hand. "It has to," I replied with a strained voice. My prosthetic leg stirred as I settled into the chair—a constant reminder of the crash that had taken so much from me. The last lifeline I had was saving my mother's gallery. This contract was my only option, regardless of what it cost.Cassian's expression was blank. He sat opposite me, suit wrinkle-free, and posture perfect. Steel-blue and unreadable eyes met mine for a moment before focusing back on the pages between us. The lawyer

Raine"You killed him, didn't you?"The words struck me before I even entered the boardroom.I froze still. My hands tightened around the crutches at my side, but I held myself upright, my face unreadable.Larsson Ashcroft didn't flinch. He sat back in his chair as if he'd been waiting for this moment, waiting patiently to watch me bleed before the entire board. "A man signs a contract and drops dead in the same breath. Excuse me, Raine, but that's more than a mere coincidence."My breath snapped. There were twelve of them seated around the table. One chair, the head chair, was empty.Cassian's chair.I walked past it without looking at it. My heels clicked on the marble floor, echoing like a timer. I stopped halfway down the length of the table and turned to face them. My voice, when it came out, was firmer than I expected."I didn't kill my husband."Larsson smiled. "Is that what you're calling him now?"The others said nothing. I could feel their eyes crawling over me, scrutinizing

Raine"Cassian!"I didn't even know my knees struck the floor. All I knew was his body on mine, numb, bleeding, stiff.He wasn't breathing."Cassian, no—NO!"I pressed my fingers against his throat, searching for a pulse. Faint. There. Ebbing, but still there.A second shot was fired.Sparks ignited at the back of my head as the bullet grazed the vault wall."Back off!" Ophelia screamed out. "You make one more step and the next one goes through your dumb skull."I was perplexed.She approached me—her heels echoing like judgment on the metal floor. Her dark red lipstick was unyielding, even as she stepped over Cassian's blood."I warned you," she sneered. "You don't deserve to live in this world, Raine. You're just a charity case we allow to wear diamonds.""You killed him," I whispered, my voice shaking."He'll live. If I let him." Tilting her head, gun aiming at Cassian's head. "Now, hand over the envelope."Taking a quick look at it—still on the table, untouched."I dare you," I spo

Raine"You won't survive the next hour unless you believe me."That's the first thing he could mutter.Not who he is. Not what he wants. Just that.He stands in the snow-drenched woods, moonlit behind him, the photo clutched like a gun in his hand. The same photo. Emilia. The baby. That damning note written across it: She's not dead.My heart pounds in my ears.I glance down at Cassian's wounded body. He’s unconscious and dying. I need help, I need clarification, I need this man to stop talking in riddles and do something."Who are you?" I ask, shivering.He steps forward, "Call me Kade. We have to leave here. Now!."Kade. That name doesn’t ring a bell, but nothing else in my life makes sense anymore, so I just grit my teeth and nod anyway. He kneels beside Cassian, pulls out a syringe from his coat, and jabs it into his thigh.I jump. "What the hell—"He'll live. For now. But you've got five minutes before they sweep back this way again. So, unless you want to die in Swiss snow, carr

Raine"Where's the blood coming from?"They were the first words I said as Kade yanked the throttle and the boat lurched forward into the dark canal. Cold air slapped my face, but it wasn't the night I dreaded.It was Cassian.He was still standing on the dock.Bleeding.Behind us, the Palazzo d'Oro burned like an empire in ashes. Shrieks echoed down the marble steps. Security scrambled. Smoke rose into the Venetian twilight, and Larsson's voice hung in the air."You should've stayed dead, Raine."I turned, grasping the edge of the boat as the canal swallowed the shore."Turn around!" I roar. "We can't leave him!""We have no choice!" Kade growled. "If we turn back now, we all die. Cassian knew that!"Liam held on to me, shaking. "Is he going to die?""No," I replied. But my voice broke.Because I didn't know.I had seen the man I was beginning to have affections for drop to his knees, blood staining his suit like war paint—and I hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye."I'm going back," I