Chapter 16
You challenged Killian Knight like that?” fina’s light brown eyes settle on me in a mix of surprise and wariness.
We were
e in the room that opened onto a balcony above the hall, hidden from view by dark blue curtains and a closed door.
“What do you want me to do? He’s getting on my nerves,” I mutter,
You the one who perfected this act for ten years. Ten years! And now you, what?”
Shame washes over me, and I lower my gaze, closing my eyes.
Jina, lets out a long huff and leans against the long table at the center of the room. It was an office–cum–lodge of sorts, and the only people with access to it were Jina, Kevin, and me. I sink back into the couch.
“We’re so close to D–Day. You cannot get distracted,” she says,
I know. And I’m not.
“We can’t afford it, she emphasizes.
Don’t you think I know that!” I finally look at her, hating the reckless feeling stirring inside me. She’s right–I shouldn’t have challenged him. That was like poking a dragon in the eye.
“You realize you let your guard down? He’s seen you without your family. Unknowingly or not, he’s seen the real you.”
A foreboding feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.
“You’re not some Anderson princess, a timid, harmless girl. You’re a challenge! He’s obsessed!”
“Yeah, right” This time, I scoff at the absurdity of it all. A thirty–three–year-old man, powerful beyond reason, obsessed with a twenty–year–old who has no power and nothing to offer at least, not to him
“I don’t know whether to laugh at how clueless you are about your own worth or beat you up for tangling with a mafia boss!” She shakes her head, the gesture screaming I can’t believe you.
ler’s
I’m generally attractive, but let’s be honest–he has no reason to want me. There’s something else at play. We can’t see it yet, but it all started after my father told him he wanted his support in making Nicolai the next Chairman of the Anderson Group.
“Really‘ And what does he want? His net worth is triple that of Anderson’s. He doesn’t need anything from you. But you went and challenged him. You pulled him toward you” she says..
I pulled him? How?
From the moment our eyes met, he was in front of me, giving me a soft smile while remaining indifferent to the entire room. He was the one watching me across the dining table while his so–called wife sat beside him. His ansivers, his questions, the glint in his eyes
He asked about my se
He was furious about them.
He invaded my every thought, making me question my sanity. And then, in the middle of the night he was impossible to resist.
How is I-
My breath quickens as I think back on everything.
He pulled me
I hate how helpless and vulnerable I’d sound if I said it aloud.
How am a challenge when I’ve already given int
Jina’s starp voice
voire yanks me from my thoughts
I look up, realizing I said that last part out loud.
She marches toward me. I knew something was off! And now I see it–your hair is down, and you’re wearing that ridiculous green
Chapter 16
She grabs my neckline and pulls it down
I raise my hands to cover it and look away.
she saw.
I know she saw.
The faint red marks that haven’t faded.
1 yank away quickly and rise from the couch, adjusting my top. Heat creeps up
her cheeks as
ishe stares at me,
mouth open.
I turn my head away.
“You.” Jina is at a complete loss for words. “When in the world did you have time to get so fucked?” Her voice is a mix of astonishment and
amusement
*Can you
not say it like that?!”
Do you seriously have the nerve to be embarrassed?” She rubs the
je center of her forehead.
“Now it all makes sense. You told Kevin to run a background check on him. You had the beach house CCTV cameras turned off. I kept wondering what the hell was going on, but oh–She shakes her head and starts pacing the room.
“You were the one, four years ago, who said we would never go near Killian Knight. That he was dangerous. That he was too close to home. And we stayed away but now?” She gestures at me.
“I know how it looks, but it’s over. Is
“Don’t lie to me.” Her voice is sharp. “You’re not over it. And he is definitely not over it,”
I cross my arms over my chest. Tl handle it.”
There’s no other way to assure her. Or myself.
“If he’s a friend, he’s a formidable one. But we cannot afford him as an enemy,” she warns,
I nod
“He can’t know about you, Mila.”
“He won’t,” I say, putting as much conviction into my voice as possible.
Silence falls between us
Tell me about the other thing.” I say, changing the subject.
Her expression shifts to something more serious as she sits on the couch. My heart sinks at the look on her face.
“We will
We still haven’t found i
“We thought we were close, but they moved again.” Jina says.
“We can track the location, but we can’t get to them before they move.”
“In that, they have more resources than we do.”
“Keep looking until the end”
“And prepare for Plan B”
No, that’s-
“No.” I say firmly. “We have three weeks. Adeline will come for me. That’s my only c
“Mila, there’s no guarantee this will even work.”
“If all else fails, this is any only shot, Do as we discussed”
10:01 AM
Chapter 16
Jina leans back, defeated, and nods.
“And what about Killian Knight?” she asks as I turn to leave.
“Whatever comes, no one is standing between me and my freedom.”
I put my mask back on, grab my bag, and walk out.
