All Chapters of KANE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"This is bullshit!"The voice cut through the noise just as Kane stepped out of McLauren's office, irritation already sitting heavy on his shoulders. The meeting had dragged longer than it should have. Too many words. Too much circling.But it was done.He was done.With this place.With this life.Or at least... he was supposed to be.The shout came again, sharper this time, pulling his attention downward toward the main floor.Kane's eyes narrowed slightly.Flora.Mona's old roommate.She stood near the entrance to the lower level, her hands flying as she argued with one of the guards, her voice loud enough to turn heads.He moved toward her without hesitation.Flora turned, spotting him instantly.Relief flooded her face."Thank God you're here," she said, grabbing his arm like she needed him to anchor her. "These fucking idiots are accusing Mona of stealing money."Everything inside Kane went still.For half a second.Then it dropped.Hard.His heart slammed against his ribs, his

Mona let out a long breath as she dropped the paintbrush back into the bucket, the soft clink echoing in the quiet apartment. "Finally," she murmured, stepping back. The walls looked different now. Cleaner. Brighter. For a moment, she just stood there, hands on her hips, taking it all in. A small smile tugged at her lips despite the ache in her arms. She did that. On her own. Her thoughts drifted, uninvited, back to earlier. To Kane. To the way she had practically begged him to drop her off. He hadn't liked it. She could see it in his face, hear it in his voice when he told her she should just stay with him for the day. But he didn't understand. He didn't have to think about rent expiring. About losing a place because you couldn't afford to keep it. About how quickly things could fall apart. Mona shook her head slightly, pushing the thought away. One thing at a time. She was doing this. Fixing things. Moving forward. A faint sound pulled her attention toward the d

Kane watched her through the reflection in the shop window.The glass caught everything. The soft glow of the streetlights, the passing blur of cars, and her... sitting beside him, legs tucked slightly to one side, holding her melting ice cream like it was the most important thing in the world.She looked... light.Like nothing heavy existed in her chest.And for once, Kane didn't feel guilty about the role he played in that.He felt satisfied.Because that smile on her face?He put it there.Yeah, the boutique wasn't an accident.His associate owned it. A quiet arrangement, a few instructions given before they even walked in. Make it look natural. Don't push too hard. Let her feel like she earned it.Because Mona wouldn't take anything that felt handed to her.He knew that.And yeah... when she found out?She'd be mad.Maybe furious.Definitely stubborn about it.But right now...She was happy.And Kane would take that over her worrying any day.His jaw tightened slightly as another

After breakfast, Mona decided Stanley deserved an upgrade."A penthouse fish," she whispered dramatically as she carried the bowl. "You've become elite now."Stanley swam in a lazy circle, entirely unimpressed.Kane's driver, however, looked one minor inconvenience away from cardiac arrest."Miss Mona," he said for the third time that afternoon, already reaching for the bowl, "please let me carry that.""I can hold a fish bowl.""Yes, but boss said if anything happens to you, he'll have my head."Mona blinked."...Literally?"The man looked genuinely stressed. "With him, you never know."That made her laugh.So now she sat in the backseat beside Stanley while the driver treated potholes like active landmines.The entire thing was ridiculous.And strangely sweet.By the time she returned to Kane's penthouse, it was almost two in the afternoon.The chef greeted her immediately."Welcome back, Miss Mona.""Hi," she smiled softly.The chef's eyes dropped to Stanley. "And... hello.""He's

The penthouse felt calmer now .The fear from earlier hadn't disappeared completely, but it wasn't crushing her chest anymore.For now, that was enough."Five!"Mona's voice echoed through the living room.Kane glanced up from the kitchen island where he was reheating dinner.Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across the entire wall, giving a perfect view below. Mona stood pressed close to the glass, one hand resting against it as she stared down at the moving traffic."Five black cars," she announced proudly.Kane fought a smile."What happened to counting red ones?""They became boring.""Ah."She nodded seriously."Black cars are mysterious.""Of course they are.""They could be spies."Kane chuckled."Come on, baby. Let's eat."Mona turned immediately.His oversized shirt hung off one shoulder, the sleeves swallowing her hands entirely. Her bare legs peeked out beneath the hem as she padded toward the kitchen.Kane's chest tightened unexpectedly.God."Wow."She stopped beside the