All Chapters of Good Girl Gone Bad: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

SAOIRSE.Once you're a step closer to the truth, would you be able to face it? Even if the truth could drive you mad?The attic I'm in smelled of mildew and forgotten time, a dusty tomb that held the remnants of my parents' lives.I knelt on the creaky floorboards, my knees aching against the rough wood, surrounded by boxes I'd dragged up here in a fit of desperate curiosity. It had been five years since I came home, five years since the accident.And since then I've been pretending everything was okay, burying myself in work to avoid this void inside me.But tonight, I couldn't ignore it anymore. The Obsidian, that cursed organization tied to their deaths, had grown too loud. I needed answers, even if it meant tearing open old wounds.My hands trembled as I rifled through the boxes — a stack of yellowed handwritten letters and drawings by me, a faded wedding album, and finally, our family photo. It was from our last summer vacation at the beach house, the one where everything stil

ZEUS. "You sound disappointed, Lennox. Why? Were you expecting someone different?" Lennox didn't answer right away. His eyes dragged over Annalise's face again, slower this time. Calculating. Replaying whatever image he had in his head of the girl from the abandoned building. He didn't like being wrong. He hated it. I tightened my hold on Annalise's hand. Her fingers were cold, slightly shaking. She squeezed back. I felt it. Her heart was pounding against her chest loud enough that I could almost hear it through her ribs. Panic gets you killed in this world. I've been doing this long enough to know that. If we fail this, lives are on the line. The girl I'm trying to protect even though her father made choices that got him killed and left behind a mess the rest of us have to clean up. "You're playing games," Lennox said finally, voice low. I tilted my head. "Games? You came into my house accusing me of hiding the daughter of a traitor. I let you see my girl. And now

"Find that traitor and take him to me."The words cut through the chaos like a blade through silk. Lennox's voice was calm, measured, the kind of calm that came from a man who had ordered deaths more times than he could count. He watched the feed on his screen — from the drone trailing a black sedan tearing down the highway at a hundred miles per hour.His man on the other end of the line answered. "Copy that, boss. He's boxed in. The tunnel is a dead end for him."Lennox ended the call and set the screen off on his SUV. He didn't need to watch anymore. He knew this road. He knew every inch of it because he had built the infrastructure of his empire around places just like this — places where enemies could be cornered and dealt with.The tunnel loomed ahead now, a dark mouth swallowing the black sedan whole. Zeus was fast. Zeus was smart. But Lennox had thirty-five men positioned at both exits and another ten inside the tunnel itself. He had planned for every variable except one — th

SAOIRSE."Do you really think that's enough to make me believe you?"Sitting across from Massimo at a table draped in maroon linen, surrounded by crystal glasses and the soft murmur of wealthy conversations. My voice didn't waver. I made sure of that. I told myself I wasn't afraid of him. I'd learned a long time ago not to show fear to men like him. It only gave them power. Massimo picked up his wine glass, swirling the deep red liquid with practiced ease. The candlelight caught the edges of his sharp features, making him look almost elegant if you didn't know better. If you didn't know what lurked beneath that expensive suit. "I know everything, Saoirse." His voice was smooth, almost gentle. "About you. About where you come from. About who your parents really are." I laughed. It came out harder than I intended, drawing a glance from the couple at the next table. I lowered my voice. "You think I don't know who my parents are? I've known them my whole life." "Have you?" He s

SAOIRSE."No."The word cut through the noise of the restaurant like a knife. It was quiet, but it landed heavy on the table.Massimo didn't blink. He sat across from me, his posture relaxed, one hand resting on the stem of his wine glass. The crystal caught the light from the chandelier above, throwing a prism of color onto the maroon tablecloth. The restaurant was full. People were laughing, clinking glasses, and living their lives. But in our corner, the air was thick enough to choke on."You say no," Massimo said. His voice was low, smooth, like gravel wrapped in velvet. "You say no to the only way out.""I say no to the war," I corrected. My hands were under the table, gripping my thighs. My knuckles were white. I could feel the tremor in my legs, the adrenaline that made my heart hammer against my ribs.Massimo took a slow sip of his wine. He didn't swallow immediately. He let the liquid sit on his tongue, tasting it, judging it. Then he set the glass down. The sound of the cry