Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

VEX POVI command seven snipers to the rooftop, each with strict orders: anyone on site is a target.Then I stand outside Brynn’s door, knocking softly.She opens it. The tears are gone, but her cheeks are still flushed from crying.“You need to come with me. Just a precaution. Nothing to worry about.”I guide her down the hall to my quarters.“Take the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”My room is twice the size of hers—minimalist, expensive, dominated by floor-to-ceiling windows now covered with bulletproof shutters.She hesitates at the threshold, and I can’t help the flicker of irritation and fascination that hits me.“The threat is being handled. But I need you where I can see you.”I move to the sleek console, scanning the security feeds showing armed men on the perimeter. Without looking at her, I continue:“Your father’s getting desperate. Sending Mantis to do his dirty work.”I set my watch on the desk with precise movements.“The bed’s yours. I don’t sleep much anyway.”Brynn’s

BRYNN POVVex stands there staring at me. Trying to read my body language, he sees right through me, and I hate it. “So, why the sudden fast track to get married? Why was Robert rushing it?” Vex finally speaks. “To be honest, I don’t know. I’m not sure of anything. They kept me locked up. Honestly, I was ready to die. I couldn’t keep running—it wasn’t a life. And death felt easier than being sold to a ruthless, cold killer… the kind of man whose last wife… well, she mysteriously overdosed. I was ready to end it all or doing something to get me killed, but Jessie came up with a plan to get me out. And you kind of know the rest of the story from there.” Vex goes completely still, something shifting behind his eyes. When he speaks, his voice is low, almost gentle—a stark contrast to his usual cold precision.“Death is never the answer. Not when you have something to live for.”“Exactly, I have nothing to live for. I’ve been caged almost my entire life. What is there for me? You’re my

BRYNN POV“I’ve told you everything, Vex.”He studies me, cold and sharp, eyes narrowing to slits. His glass sits untouched, amber liquid catching the light, deliberate.“Twenty million dollars,” he murmurs, voice low, deadly calm. “For a marriage arrangement? Even for someone like Moretti, that’s… significant.”He steps closer, predator-like, closing the space between us.“I know when someone’s lying, Brynn. I see it in your eyes.”He stops just outside my personal space. Close enough to smell the copper tang of blood and gunpowder on him.“Whatever you’re hiding… it won’t stay hidden. Not from me. Not from Moretti.”His phone buzzes. He glances at it, expression hardening.“Kade intercepted communications. Moretti’s bringing in specialists. Extraction teams.”His gaze locks on mine, deadly serious.“They’re not coming to kill you. They’re coming to take you.”“I’ve told you I don’t know!” I snap. “I lived with him for twenty-one years… I saw a lot of things. It could be anything, Ve

BRYNN POVLiam Tang stands at the top of the stairs, arms outstretched, his smile sharp and unreadable. He looks like our father—the same cheekbones, the same calculating gaze—but something colder simmers behind it. Four guards flank him, rigid and alert in formal attire.Vex surrenders his weapons without protest, his face unreadable as the security team pats him down thoroughly. My stomach tightens. Even here, in what should be safe, the air is thick with tension.“Of course. Your house, your rules.” Vex’s words are calm, but I can see the slight twitch in his jaw—controlled but present.Liam embraces me, holding me at arm’s length, studying my face with the same meticulous attention he always gave my father’s allies.“Little dragon.” My father’s nickname. A pang hits me—homecoming never felt this complicated.Then his gaze shifts to Vex. A predator sizing up another predator. “And Vex Maddock. I know your reputation well.” His smile cools slightly, the respect laced with wariness.

VEX POV“She’s been in there too long, Kade. I don’t like it.”“Relax, I’m sure they’re just catching up.”“You didn’t hear the way he said ‘family duty’. It was almost like she’s his property.”Liam Tang makes me uneasy. There’s something dark in him I can’t quite place. He’s powerful—equal to me. I could take him down if I needed to, but I’ve never seen an advantage in that. We exist in a tense balance; neither of us makes the first move.Brynn’s quick steps pull me from my thoughts. Kade and I rise instinctively as she rushes past us, her energy jittery, panicked.“What’s wrong? What happened? Damnit, talk to me.” My voice comes out more protective than I intended, and I hate that it betrays me.“Not here. Follow me.” Brynn brushes past us, her pace urgent. She leads us through a corridor that opens into a secluded garden. Cherry blossom trees bloom in delicate pinks, white bushes spill over stone walls, and a solitary bench waits at the center.“Now talk.”⸻BRYNN POVVex and Kade