Victor Reader Novels & Stories

Lila had brought the tray without comment and Dave had eaten alone and said nothing and she had said nothing and the silence between them had been the particular silence of two people who both knew something had shifted and were leaving it alone. Victor knocked before entering, which was new. He opened the door at Dave’s silence and came in with the easy unhurried manner he always carried, a folder of papers under one arm, as if he had been passing and stopped on an impulse rather than walking here directly. “You look like you’ve been thinking too hard again,” Victor said, taking the chair across from Dave without being invited. “I’ve been reading,” Dave said. Victor glanced at the closed bo

"Oh my God." He shrugs. "I love smooth ladies who just know what they want and grab at it." I laugh, but his statement also has my smile fading a little, reminding me of someone like that. She is fierce and can definitely grab at what she wants. I am just sad that I am not what she wants. "So Kayden," Victor's voice pulls me out of my head. "I have the information you need about this guy you call Christian Davidson. It is right here." He lifts up the brown file before him and gives it to me. When I stretch my hand to collect it, he retracts it for a moment.

But, like Victor, he will accept Rai for whoever Rai will be. Victor looked at his book, specifically at one of the words printed on it – love. Is what I am feeling toward Rai might not be just a crush or like? Was it love? He thought as he felt his heart beating very fast while he looked at the back of Raina’s head. But, instead of long hair, Vince felt as if he saw the familiar short hair. The one that he always sees when he looks at Rai, since Rai would always have his back on him.

There was only a tube of dark red lipstick. Victor set down his tablet and walked over. She watched him move with a mix of fear and fascination. He was efficient and clean, moving as if every step he took had been rehearsed a thousand times in a dark room. He stood at her side, looking down at the page. “Read it.” She glanced at the top: The Terms of Submission.

--- ## **THE TEMPTATION** Victor reached into his jacket slowly, carefully, and placed a data drive on the table between them. Aria didn’t touch it. “That,” Victor said, “contains every remaining name. Every route. Every account. Everything.” Her breath slowed. “Why?” she asked. Victor met her gaze. “Because you’re about to make the same mistake Damian did—just dressed in better language.” “I’m not you,” Aria said. “No,” Victor agreed. “You’re worse.” Her jaw tightened. “You believe people can be better,” Victor continued. “That mercy changes systems. That transparency saves lives.”