Chapter 18
“We have never done this before.
“This will be a good distraction. 111 come tomorrow.
“It’s Killian, isn’t it?”
“No.”
We are doomed.” She ignored my protest. “But I’ll do it anyway because she’s a bitch.”
That was all I needed to hear.
We ended the call, I tossed away the rest of my cigarette and got back into the car. Putting my wireless earbud in, I pretended to fall asleep.
The driver arrived ten minutes later. I cracked my eyes open just enough to see him pull out his phone, tap at it a few times, then quickly shut them again.
“Yes, ma’am, she’s asleep.
heard the sound of the call disconnecting before he pulled the car out of the driveway.
At dinner, the atmosphere was thick with tension. I kept my eyes on my plate, refusing to look up. My father’s body language was unusually rigid. and Adeline’s jaw was set tight.
The footage had reached them.
No one
one had time to look at me, which means my father would stop pursuing Killian Knight for now.
What they had thought would be their trump card must now feel like a noose around their necks. Something about that was deeply satisfying.
I maintained my usual demeanor–inexpressive, uninteresting, and oblivious to the elephant in the room.
After finishing my meal. I excused myself. Franny followed.
“Mila
I turned to laer, waiting
“Do you think something happened between Mother and Father? They seem a bit.. tense.” Her voice was hushed.
“Really! Everything seems fine to me.” I blinked in confusion and shrugged.
“Oh. Maybe it’s just me.
I pressed my lips together and nodded. As I turned away, a smirk spread across my face.
I watched the lights flicker off in the curridor before slipping into my room and shutting the door.
In the dark, only my bedside lamp illuminated the space.
I crossed the room and pushed aside an old cabinet in the corner. The floor creaked beneath it. Bending down, I slid out a loose floorboard revealing a hidden cavity. Reaching inside. I pulled out my laptop.
Tume to get some
work done.
Liton.
I bounced onto my bed and powered it on.
For the past eight years, my number one priority had been Project Patronus. This was what my life revolved around.
My little accidental” attempt to get Killian to poke around was just a test- -to see how far he’ll go. He had more resources than I did. Would he figure out what Adeline was hiding and seliete?
If even Killian Kroght couldn’t dig deep enough, then where was it And how was Adeline hiding it? How had she gained the resources to conceal something from my father and the King of the Shadow Knights?
Flogged to my server, and alerts flooded my screen. I thered through theau, forwarding the less importaus ones to Kevin
Finally, Kevin sent
sent me the files on Killian Kauglu.
1/7/3
Chapter 18
We had never dug too deep into his affairs–precisely because gaining any information on him might draw unwanted attention. But now I already had his attention. I might as well find something I could use.
Killian finding out about me in any way would create problems–at least, not before my 21st birthday. Not until I found Patronus.
Killian Knight—known in the underworld as the Shadow King
His predecessor had been just as ruthless, but Killian was different. If you hadn’t experienced his presence firsthand, you would never truly
understand.
A shadow. A ghost.
People knew his name, but no one could prove his existence in the crime world. He was unstainable.
He wouldn’t be worthy of that name if there were something easy to find.
Many high–profile crimes had been linked to the Shadow Knight organization–smuggling, artifact theft, and their specialty–assassinations. Politicians, high–ranking officials, and even royalty had fallen at their hands.
The Knights had changed the course of wars, shifted the balance of power.
Yet, there was nothing–no trace on Killian himself.
Except for his marriage,
To the public, he and Kate appeared to be the perfect, harmonious couple. Their names were attached to charities across the country and internationally.
But legally They weren’t married.
I clicked on a photograph of Killian and Kate at a charity event, taken two months ago
Killian wore a well–fitted three–piece suit. He had a lean frame–deceptive, given the rock–hard muscles he hid beneath. No tattoos were visible. His dark lethal eyes looked down on everyone as if a mere flick of his fingers could annihilate them all.
Kate, ever the perfect wife, rested her hand at his elbow,
The image was stunning–a flawless portrayal of the perfect couple.
I curled my finger
Why the facade?
Was it just to make him more approachable! To appear legitimate in the pulitic eye? Or was there something more?
Knight Estates was the official, legal front of the Shadow Knights
But most of their wealth was connected to Anderson Group of Companies.
The Anderson–Knight partnership spanned seven decades and three generations. A partnership built on a blood debt of hundreds
My great–grandfather, Philip Anderson, and Killian Knight’s grandfather, Edmund Knight, Isad been best friends–true partners in crime
The details were murky, but after years of smuggling illegal technology and weapons, they had turned to bounty hunting and assassinations.
In the 1960s, they were what the underworld called the original Shadow Knights.
Philip had wanted to go legitimate. He’d built a front for the organization–Anderson Tech. It started with technology, their expanded to manufacturing weapons for the military
even as time passed and Philip distanced himself from the Shadow Knights, it had always been just that—a front.
He was still deeply involved.
The company he built didn’t just protect the Anderson–it shielded the Knights as well. Everyone within the inner circles knew how the Anderson
empire had come to be
When my grandfather took over, he expanded Anderson’s reach, strengthening the company as the Knights retreated further into the shadows.
And nowh
Anderson was Anderson. The Knights had become a dragon that needed to be hidden
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Chapter 18
It made sense why my father needed Killian on his side–why he was wary of him.
But after seeing Adeline and Killian together, would my father still seek his support!
That remained to be seen
As for Killian. I had a feeling he already had a plan in mind.
And Adeline? She would make another move–this time, out of fear of what Killian might uncover
At first, I had challenged Killian on impube.
But the more I thought about it.. the more I realized-
This could work in my favor
1 smiled and made a call.
Kevin picked up.
“Keep an eye on all of Adeline’s accounts. This time, she’ll slip.”
Jon it
“Offshore accounts too.
“Yup. But we won’t find Patronus’s location this way.”
-Our target isn’t the location- is the movement. Who’s getting paid for this?”
The call disconnected
白
