The Visit

(Nadira POV)I was exhausted, feeling as though I'd been dragged through the mud by the time I reached my apartment door. My head raced from being spoken to all day, and my chest hurt from yet another blowout with Thane. I just wanted to fall across my couch and sleep for a week.I opened the door and stood in shock.There was someone on my couch.Not anyone."Grandma V?" I blinked. My not so secret investor.She was lounging with crossed legs, having a cup of tea as if she were at home. She looked totally at ease, like it was the most normal thing to do in the world to break into my apartment."Took you long enough," she said, setting her cup down. "I was starting to worry you'd skipped out."I allowed my bag to crash to the floor and rushed over. "You—you can't just lie here like that! How did you even get in?"She shrugged. "Keys. Connections. Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to."I chuckled despite myself and hugged her hard. "It's nice to see you.""Of course it is

The Paper Shield

(Nadira POV)The apartment felt too quiet after Grandma V left. The kind of quiet that made every tick of the clock louder than it should be. I stared at the photo on the floor, the one with the red X slashed across it. My hands shook slightly as I picked it up again. It wasn’t just a warning anymore—it was proof that someone wanted me out of the game. That someone thought I was a threat.I hugged the photo to my chest for a moment, feeling the weight of it. In my first life, no one had cared enough to threaten me. I was invisible, weak, powerless. Now? Now, standing up for myself made me a target. That thought made my chest tighten.I grabbed a hollowed-out book from my shelf, slid the photo inside, and closed it quietly. Safe for now. I whispered to myself. Secrets were going to be my armor. If I was going to survive this second chance, I couldn’t let anyone see my weaknesses. Not even my father. Not even Thane.By the time I finished, the apartment felt too empty. I opened my lapt

The Ghost in the Machine

I didn’t look back at the black sedan. I knew the driver was probably on his phone right now, reporting to Thane that I was walking away. Let him. My heels clicked against the pavement, a steady, rhythmic sound that felt like a countdown.Every block I put between myself and that car made the air feel a little easier to breathe. But the image of the text message—Thane, Magnolia, and that smug caption—was stuck in my head like a bruise. "Already forgotten," it had said. I gripped my bag tighter. If he wanted to forget me, fine. I would make sure he remembered the day I became his biggest headache instead.The neighborhood changed the further I walked. The shiny glass towers of the business district gave way to older, grimy brick buildings. Neon signs flickered with missing letters, and the smell of expensive coffee was replaced by the heavy scent of grease and old metal. This was the tech district, the place where things went to get fixed or disappear.I found the shop tucked betwe

The Lion’s Den

(Thane POV)I sat in the car across the street, knuckles tight on the steering wheel. Nadira had been walking for nearly forty minutes instead of taking the car. Forty minutes. My chest tightened, but it wasn’t anger at her—well, not entirely. It was frustration at myself.I watched her disappear into the narrow alley leading to that tech shop. That place. She shouldn’t even be there. Not for a second.I pulled my phone out, tracking her GPS. The little icon moved deeper into the district. My stomach churned. She wasn’t going home. She wasn’t going to school. She was going somewhere she shouldn’t.I remembered the conversation with my grandfather last night, sitting across from Archibald in the dining room.“You need to control her,” he had said, voice low but sharp. “If she doesn’t behave, the family fixers will take care of her.”I remembered the cold glint in his eye, the way he said take care. I had nodded like a perfect grandson, but inside, I’d been seething. I didn’t want her

The Billionaire Second Chance Vow のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 24

The Visit

The Paper Shield

The Ghost in the Machine

The Lion’s Den