جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

Chapter 31Bailey's POV The armored sedan tore through the slick, rain-washed asphalt of the financial district as the pale gray light of dawn broke across the towering skyscrapers. The streets were quiet, still recovering from the brutal storm that had battered the coast all night, but inside the vehicle, the air was thick with a heavy, razor-sharp tension.On the center console, Viktor’s secure satellite terminal continued to flash an angry crimson warning light. The live data feed showed Frank’s hijacked signal locking down every major digital billboard, news network, and financial server across the city. He was setting the stage for a final, catastrophic public address designed to destroy Crest Holdings, ruin Raven, and tear down everything we had fought so hard to build.In the passenger seat, I sat with my tactical gear securely fastened, my fingers flying across the glowing screen of my handheld override terminal. My heart hammered against my ribs, but my mind was completely c

Chapter 33Bailey's POVThe air in the penthouse seemed to freeze. Suddenly, it felt heavy and difficult to breathe. Time slowed as I stared at Frank. His face was twisted with anger, and the black barrel of the Sig Sauer P226 was pointed straight at my chest. My fingers were still resting on the mobile console strapped to my arm, but the digital hum of the global broadcast had faded into a distant noise in my ears. My heart was pounding hard, warning me to move when my body wouldn't listen.For a fraction of a second, everything came down to Frank's finger resting on the trigger. His mouth curled into a cruel smile. He was going to pull it. He was going to shoot me simply because he had lost everything.Before I could take another breath, Raven moved.He didn't stop to think. He didn't hesitate or search for another way out. His body lunged sideways, putting himself directly between Frank and me. This time, he didn't push me behind him. He wrapped his arms around me, covering me with

Chapter 35Bailey's POVThe sterile smell of bleach and antiseptic stung the back of my throat, sharp enough to make my eyes water. Outside the private recovery wing of Saint Jude’s, the world moved at a quiet, maddeningly slow pace that felt completely disconnected from the war zone we'd just survived. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a pale glow across the beige linoleum floor.I couldn't sit down.Every time I tried to sit on one of the waiting room chairs, panic twisted inside me, forcing me back to my feet.Back and forth.Left to right.Four steps toward the double doors of the ICU, then four steps back toward the corner window overlooking the rain-slicked city streets.My boots were still stained with Raven’s blood. Dark, dried, and stiff against the leather. Every time I looked down at them, another wave of nausea rolled through my stomach, bringing back the terrifying memory of how close I'd come to losing him on that glass-covered floor."Bailey, please. Sit d

Chapter 37Bailey's POVThe heavy oak doors of the master suite clicked shut, cutting off the sounds from the rest of the villa. It had been two weeks since the sterile white walls of Saint Jude’s Hospital had become our whole world. Two weeks of antiseptic smells, quiet hallways, and waiting for our bodies to heal.Now, the bedroom felt calm and familiar. The lights were low, casting a soft warmth across the room. Everything was quiet, almost peaceful. There was a faint scent of cedarwood and rain in the air, along with the familiar comfort of Raven's presence.Raven stood beside the bed, dressed only in loose dark trousers. The harsh lights of the trauma ward were gone, replaced by the gentle glow of the bedside lamps. The scar on his right shoulder, left by the bullet that had nearly taken him from me, was still visible, but it was healing into a thin, clean line.He wasn't fragile anymore, but there was still a slight stiffness in the way he moved. His body hadn't completely forgo

Chapter 39Bailey's POVThe marble lobby of the federal courthouse suddenly felt like a cage closing around me. Gabriel’s voice echoed beneath the high, vaulted ceilings as he waved those thick folders of lies around, looking like a desperate man trying to rewrite reality. Cameras flashed, capturing the smear campaign in real time while reporters crowded around him, eager for a story.For a moment, the old panic rose in my throat—the fear of being trapped, exposed, and hunted by a world that never seemed willing to let me breathe.Then Raven moved.He didn’t yell. He didn’t raise his voice or throw a punch. He simply stepped forward, his broad shoulders squared beneath his charcoal-gray suit. There was a quiet authority in the way he carried himself, and it made the noise in the lobby slowly die down.He looked at Gabriel without anger. There was only cold, detached pity in his eyes.Before Gabriel could shout another lie, the heavy glass doors behind him swung open. Two private secur