KARMA SERVED HOT のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 19

Ethan's POV The camera flashes were rapid, the sound of shutters cut through the press room like a thunderclap. I sat at the center of the glass conference table, one arm draped casually over the back of my chair, my posture relaxed.To the reporters present in the room, I was Ethan Vance, just a powerful business man of Manhattan. To them, I was a man who treated billions of dollars like a chess piece on a chess board. But what they didn't see is the violent, protective instinct which lay underneath my skin, thrumming.Beside me sat Elara Vale. She wore an ocean blue short dress that wrapped elegantly around her curves, her long wavy brown hair fell in waves over her shoulders. She looked every bit the mysterious, european investor she was portraying herself to be. She sat on the chair, her hands rested on her laps, a habit that I have noticed during the past few moments we have spent together. Her honey brown eyes scanned the sea of reporters below calmly. But I know that althoug

I knew she felt it too, my palm burning her skin through her gown, a quiet promise that I'm right beside her. We moved up the wide staircase, pausing a little bit for the photographers. Elara smiled on cue. I kept my gaze ahead, focused as we moved. We finally got to the top of the stairs and I felt Lianne stiffen beside me. She took in a sharp breath while staring at a particular part of the museum. But they have already met once during the contract signing, so why is she reacting this way, I wondered. Or maybe she has been keeping her fears in check during that period. Just past the pillars of the museum stood Adrian Cooper and Celeste Smith. Adrian was dressed in a black suit, his blonde hair swept back with gel looking every bit the arrogant heir, even though the faint dark circles under his eyes betrayed his stress. Beside him, stood Celeste clothed in a shimmering silver dress, her petite frame leaning affectionately into Adrian's arm. I felt a tug on my arm, and looked do

Ethan's POV I closed the door, shutting out the noise behind us. “You did great out there” I said softly, my thumbs gently brushing the skin of her collarbone."Right" she whispered and looked back at me “Thank you for your support earlier”.Before I could give her a reply, a sound resonated through the room. It was my phone. I groaned in frustration, pulled the phone out, while at the same time keeping one hand steadily on Elara’s shoulder. It was a text message that came in, a text message from Nicole. He is one of my intelligence team that manages the security of the mansion, so him contacting me now which he usually doesn't do could only mean that something important that warrants my attention must have happened. I clicked on the message which reads “An intruder was caught trying to get into the east wing of the mansion”. The message was just a one line sentence that put me on the alert immediately.The east wing, that is where all important information pertaining to my company

Ethan“Check his body for any means of identification” I ordered Nicole as I took off the gloves on my hands. “Check if there's any hidden device on him”“Yes”, he replied and put on a pair of gloves that he pulled out of his pockets. He ransacked his body quickly, “Nothing”“Prepare to dump his body in a dump site, inside the ocean or burn it” I ordered him dismissively.Before he could reply the door to the basement opened and in came the butler came in with a letter held in his hands.“I'm really sorry for barging in, sir. A letter arrived just now for you”. The butler reported with his eyes kept lowered to the ground, not for a single second moving them to check out the room.I collected the letter from him, it was a sealed envelope, sealed with a golden wax. I unsealed it with a snap of the seal and saw an invitation card with a small note attached to it. It was a letter from Adrian Cooper, an invitation to an upper class auction tomorrow.LianneI walked to the mansion, with the