All Chapters of Kiss Me While The World Burns: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Across the aisle, Tex’s entire body went rigid. A low, dangerous growl rattled in his throat as he pushed himself out of his seat, his hand instinctively moving toward his jacket lapel. "That piece of shit," he hissed, ready to tear Giordano apart right there on the auditorium floor. "What woman?!" Before he could take a step, Kany grabbed his wrist, her grip surprisingly strong as she anchored him to the spot. "Tex, sit the fuck down," she whispered urgently, her eyes darting to the whispering security guards near the exits. "Victoria isn't herself right now. She's completely overwhelmed. She needs to get away from the crowd, and you making a scene isn't going to help her." Tex snapped his head around, his jaw clenched so tight the bone looked ready to pop through his skin. "I knew she wasn't right! Which is exactly why I insisted we return to New York, but she refused. Now she's letting Giordano..." He paused, gritting his teeth so hard a curse word dissolved in his mouth. He gla

As soon as Giordano said that, his phone rang almost immediately. He pulled it out, a skeptical expression instantly taking over his face as he stared at the screen. He answered, pressing it to his ear, and within a few seconds, his godfather's booming voice cut through the line. "Giordano, my boy," Bartholomew said over the speaker, his heavy voice echoing in the quiet room. "I'm right here at the summit looking for you, but I can't find you anywhere. Where the hell are you? I ran into someone you definitely need to talk to. One of your old friends. You two have a massive history." “You’re at the summit?” Giordano frowned deeply, his jaw tightening as he looked at Victoria. "Why the hell are you looking for me, Godfather? Aren't you supposed to be keeping a low profile at home sipping milk and reading the newspaper?" “Milk? Nah.” Bartholomew laughed, completely ignoring the attitude. "Why else would I be looking for you, my boy? Thankfully you came to this summit, because you final

The silence of the penthouse terrace was heavy, broken only by the rhythmic, distant hum of the Mediterranean waves crashing against the cliffs below. Victoria leaned her forearms against the cool stone railing, her eyes fixed blindly on the glittering trail of lights leaving the Monaco harbor. Her mind was still a chaotic, burning mess. One second she was mapping out the exact seating arrangements for the European banking elites at the Casino de Monte Carlo, and the next, her brain was viciously looping back to the sharp, dark hallway in Zurich. To Giordano. To the smooth, overly familiar voice of the woman named Jamie. A soft rustle of fabric cut through the quiet, followed by the familiar, quiet slide of the balcony door. Kany walked out onto the terrace, the cool night air instantly catching her hair. She stood beside Victoria for a silent moment, looking out at the superyachts before reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes, nudging Victoria’s e

The next morning, the roar of a high-performance engine echoed off the pristine white buildings of Monte Carlo as Victoria’s silver sports car pulled to a smooth, sudden halt right in front of the Casino de Monte Carlo. The Mediterranean sun was blinding, reflecting off the polished chrome of the vehicle and the massive glass windows of the venue. Victoria killed the engine, the sudden quiet of the upscale street settling over the car. Before she could even reach for her handbag, Kany stepped out of the passenger side and walked around the hood. She held out a tall, insulated cup of iced caramel macchiato, tapping the lid with her fingernail. "Drink this before you go inside and murder someone," Kany said, leaning against the door frame. "You look like you slept for twenty minutes." Victoria collected the cup with a tired but grateful nod. "Thank you. And for the record, I slept for thirty minutes. It makes a huge difference." She stepped out of the car, adjusting her sunglasse

"What the absolute fuck!" Kany hissed into the pitch blackness of the penthouse, her voice echoing sharply against the high marble walls. The sudden silence after the power blew was deafening, suffocating the room instantly. Victoria heard her tech specialist frantically rustling against her own clothes, her hands slapping against her pockets as she searched for her phone. A second later, the bright, artificial beam of a phone flashlight sliced through the dark, casting long, eerie shadows across the luxury living room. Victoria on the other hand didn't move a single inch. She stood perfectly still in her silver silk nightgown, her eyes staring fixedly at the now blank, dead laptop screen. Her hands were clenched into tight, white-knuckled fists at her sides. In the absolute quiet of the room, her mind did a speedy, ruthless analysis of who could have possibly pulled off a stunt this precise. To override a tier-one secure server, stream a live video feed of the stolen EMP, and bl