جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 17

ROMANHow much longer is this going to fucking take?I palmed my face for the hundredth time, then glanced again at the projected statistics on the board. Raphael had ordered this fuckass meeting and forced me to be a part of it.The look of absolute shock on the executives’ faces greeted me when I stepped in with Raphael. I couldn’t blame them. Most of the new employees had no idea that Raphael even had a sibling, let alone an identical twin.“I told you guys to work on this before now,” Raphael was saying, frowning in irritation at the spreadsheet. “Wagner fucking Industries wouldn’t let us have this.” He sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sorry for my language, but I am stressed.”“Maybe we should just end the meeting,” I suggested, shrugging. All heads whipped to me. “I mean, we haven’t come to any conclusion for the past thirty minutes, and honestly, I am tired of sitting here.”Murmurs rose immediately, but Raphael was already on his feet. “I am tired too. This mee

ALINAI tried to savage as much as I could from the burnt bills, but they had all been burned to ashes. One million dollars gone in a flash, taking my fucking freedom with it. My shoulder throbbed, and my ribs ached with every breath I took. Tears streamed down my face as I sobbed silently, afraid of James hearing me. I didn't really know what I was crying about. Was it the pain from the burn or the burnt money? Or both?I stayed on the floor for a long time, mourning my ill fate before I got up. I didn't clean the mess immediately as he asked me to. Instead, I crawled to the kitchen, dragging my left arm because moving my right shoulder was agony. I turned on the cold tap and stuck my burned skin under the stream. I bit hard on my lower lip until I tasted more blood to keep from screaming.I reached for the first aid kit under the washbasin and slathered the burn with antibiotic cream before I wrapped it clumsily with gauze. My hands shook as I tried not to think of the new amount

RAPHAEL“I fucking knew it!”I winced before pushing Roman away from my ear. “Do you have a loudspeaker lodged in your throat?”His eyes shone like jewels. “I knew she just needed more money, or some time to think about it! Cause that amount you offered was just too crazy to push away.”Excitement jumped around in my stomach, but I threw Roman a look. “I thought you said I should have increased the amount, and that I was the reason she—“ “Come on, we’ve passed that,” he grinned, looping his arm around my shoulder. “I am so excited. Do you have any idea how worried I have been?”“I am happier than both of you.”We turned to Kane at the same time.“At least I wouldn’t go through the stress of digging out her location,” he said, shrugging. “Just thinking about it makes me feel relieved.”Roman said something funny that made them both cackle like kids, but I wasn’t even listening. They walked toward the door, talking excitedly. Roman was doing more of the talking.“Um, Kane,” I snapped m