บททั้งหมดของ RED LABEL: บทที่ 91 - บทที่ 100

Adrian had turned toward him fully now, scissors forgotten in his hand.Behavior? he pondered. The cadet continued, his voice dropping into the register of someone imparting something he considered important."If people know you as a loudmouth, and suddenly you become quiet, they'll notice. If they know you as a slouch and suddenly you stand straight, they'll notice. If they know you walk fast and suddenly you slow down, they'll notice."He pointed at Adrian's reflection, at the boy who did not yet understand what he was being taught."You don't disguise yourself from the eyes. You disguise yourself from memory."The words had stayed with him, embedding themselves somewhere beneath conscious thought.Years later, they still did, resurfacing at the strangest moments, usually just before he needed them most.Nobody's hand moved automatically toward the trimmer, muscle memory guiding him through a ritual he had performed more times than he cared to count.He switched it on.The low elec

For a few seconds, Evelyn and Melissa simply listened to each other's breathing through a channel that was supposed to be impossible to follow."Let's... just drop it, okay?" Evelyn eventually said. Then Melissa whispered, "If you say so. Just be careful, Eve.""I will."For the first time since the security lockdown began, the room felt slightly less empty."So, let's talk about something else, Mel. The kind of gossip that'll keep me completely distracted," Evelyn suggested, changing the topic. "You know what, Eve? I don't think it's a good idea to change the topic. Because I'm really concerned about you," Melissa said. And she meant it. "Why did you say that?" Evelyn asked. "I know you, Eve. Sometimes, more than you know yourself," replied Melissa."No, you don't. You don't know anything about me," Evelyn teasingly defended. "You're terrible at this, Eve, and you know it. You may be Forbe's reigning Queen of New Avalon, tough, strong-willed and unyielding on the outside. But on

"I'm not saying I can't concentrate because of him, Melissa. That’s a ridiculous read on the situation," Evelyn defended. "If you say so, darling. But from what you've presented, you’ve stared at that exact paragraph in the quarterly projections for twenty minutes without turning the page, so forgive me if my amateur psychology is running wild," analyzed Melissa. Evelyn let out a long, heavy sigh, the kind that carried the weight of an entire board meeting, and brought a hand up to rub at her temple as though she could physically scrub the stubborn irritation right out of her skin."I don't even know why I called you.""Because you were spiraling in total, agonizing isolation and you needed a sounding board who wouldn't judge you for being completely obsessed," Melissa shot back, her tone dripping with that effortless, privileged amusement that usually drove Evelyn up a wall. "Now stop deflecting. Are you worried about him, or are you just deeply, painfully offended that he managed

Daniel Cole stepped through the revolving doors of St. Jude's Hospital just after four PM. He had spent the better part of three years learning how to move through the world without leaving much of an impression. There was something almost ironic about finding himself walking into one of the busiest hospitals in New Avalon with a very specific name in his head and a very specific reason for being there. He had already done the asking around. Quietly, without creating unnecessary curiosity, he had followed a few ordinary conversations in the right places until somebody finally gave him what he needed: a name, a floor, and a room number.Donel Jones.The name belonged to one of the three men who had tried to kidnap Evelyn Carter barely a month ago. Three highly trained professionals had been sent after her, and all three had discovered that the apparently harmless man who happened to cross their path that day was considerably more dangerous than any of them had anticipated. Donel J

The title seemed to bother him more than the name, as though it named something he hadn't known existed."What the hell is a deal broker?"Daniel closed the wallet, tucking it away with the ease of long habit."Someone who finds people who have problems and people who have solutions, then convinces both sides that they need each other," explained Daniel. Gonel gave a short laugh, dry and humorless."You're a negotiator."Daniel shrugged. "Negotiators work for somebody.""And you don't?""I work for the deal."Gonel stared at him for several seconds, something calculating settling into his gaze.Daniel could almost see the calculations beginning behind his eyes, the gears turning despite the man's best efforts to hide them.A lawyer protected a client. A broker found an arrangement.Those were two entirely different things, and Gonel seemed to understand the distinction better than he wanted to admit.Finally, Gonel shifted against the pillow, wincing slightly at whatever pain the mov