Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 81 - Chapitre 86

ZaneAt seven in the morning, I learned that my father had a strange definition of a welcome home.He gave me a black suit, a gun I had no intention of touching unless necessary, and a file containing the name of a man I had never met.Then he told me I had until midnight to find out why the man had stolen from our family."Find out?" I asked, flipping through the papers. "Or make him talk?"My father sat behind his desk, fastening the cuff of his shirt. "Does the distinction matter?""It matters if you expect me to walk into a situation without knowing what I'm dealing with.""Then learn quickly."I looked down at the photograph in the file.The man was in his fifties, with a receding hairline and a face that seemed perfectly ordinary. His name was Viktor Sokolov. According to the information on the pages, he had worked for the family for nearly fifteen years, overseeing a legitimate shipping company that handled some of our international business.Three nights ago, a shipment had di

Ava"I said no, Ashley.""And I said you're going."I stared at my best friend through my bedroom mirror as she sat cross-legged on my bed, scrolling through her phone like she hadn't just volunteered me for an evening of social interaction I desperately didn't want."I have cheer practice tomorrow.""So do I, and somehow I'm still capable of attending a party tonight.""Congratulations. Do you want a certificate?"Ashley looked up. "You know what your problem is?"I returned to applying lip gloss. "I have a feeling you're going to tell me.""You've been acting like a widow for weeks."My hand froze.Ashley immediately softened her expression. "Ava...""Don't.""I'm not saying you should be over him.""Then what are you saying?""I'm saying you can't keep doing this to yourself. You wake up, go to class, lead cheer practice, come home, and either sit in your room or go to the ice rink. That's your entire life now.""Sounds peaceful.""It sounds depressing."I put the lip gloss down ha

Chapter Eighty One - The Guy We’re Not Talking AboutAva"I'm just saying, Ava, that man is ridiculously attractive."I pulled the blanket over my head."Go to sleep, Ashley.""No, because you weren't there looking at him the way I was.""I was literally there.""Emotionally, you were traumatized. Your eyes weren't working properly."I dragged the blanket down and glared at her.Ashley sat cross-legged on my bed, wearing one of my oversized T-shirts and a pair of shorts she'd stolen from my wardrobe. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she had a bowl of popcorn resting in her lap. She looked far too comfortable for someone who had invited herself to sleep over and spent the last twenty minutes talking about a man I barely knew.Saint.Apparently, saving me from an aggressive stranger at a party had earned him a permanent position in Ashley's imagination."He's not that attractive," I said.Ashley stopped chewing.Then she slowly lowered the popcorn bowl."Excuse me?"I rolled ont