Share
23. Storm
September 2026,
Scars Bay, USA
Alyanna
"I have a surprise for you!" Jayden grinned.
"What is it?" I asked, excited.
"It's someone you've wanted to meet for the longest time..." He couldn't stop smiling as he stood up and walked somewhere, carrying his laptop, and by extension me, with him.
"Is it Usain Bolt?" I joked.
"Unfortunately, no, not this time." He chuckled and then set the laptop down somewhere and then backed up a bit.
It looked like he was now in the living room.
"Come 'ere buddy." Jay patted his thigh a couple of times and a moment later, Storm came into view.
"Oh my God, it's Stormy! He's back!" I pressed a hand against my heart. He was all grown up now and still had all of his cuteness.
Storm's head tilted to the side in confusion before he let out a low whine.
Jayden looked surprised before his features softened. "I thi
Related chapters
Pause, Rewind, Play 24. Sunday Family Brunch
October 2026, Scars Bay, USA Dimitri Darkness. Nothingness. A boundless void. I was stuck here for what felt like the billionth time. But I couldn't figure a way out for the life of me. 'Murderer,' a high-pitched voice whispered. 'Murderer.' Oh no. Please no. 'Heartless murderer.' I covered my ears. I didn't want to hear it. 'I deserved better than you.' I heard a familiar voice shriek. The voice was loud. Too fucking loud. There was no source in sight but I didn't need to see her to know who she was. I could recognize that voice anywhere. 'Cold, heartless murderer,' the high-pitched voice kept murmuring in the background. 'I was supposed to be the Queen,' she sneered. 'I was supposed to rule the world.' I ran. I nee
Pause, Rewind, Play 25. First Date
October 2026, Scars Bay, USA Katerina I laughed. "How are you doing?" I shouldn't be laughing. I really shouldn't. Not after he was there for me in a way no one had been in a long time. Maybe he was right. I did judge him too quickly. Not only did he comfort me when I was upset, but he also went out of his way to improve my mood. He suggested we go for a ride. When I asked him to take his pick, he asked for Thunder, Alya's stallion. Apparently, he had heard a lot about the horse from Alya and knew that only she and the stablemaster could control him. Alya had told him that he wouldn't be able to do it. Dimitri was determined to prove her wrong. And watching him trying to make it happen was hilarious. He had been trying to get close to a saddled Thunder for the past fifteen minutes without getting his head kicked off. I even went and changed into my riding gear but as e
Pause, Rewind, Play 26. Dream State and Reality
October 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaI traced a finger along the edge of the glass, looking at the rich, decadent amber-colored liquid that could be the answer to all my problems.I knew I was teetering on a dangerous line. One step over and I'd be done for.The tips of my fingers twitched. I had a fire in me. And I wanted that fire to consume me. I wanted it to burn me so that I could forget the hurt today brought me.There was a certain kind of relief in giving in to destruction.I lifted the glass with a trembling hand and watched the whiskey swoosh around. Lifting it to my lips, I closed my eyes and let go of all my thoughts and worries.But before the alcohol even touched my lips, the glass was ripped out of my hands."What are you doing here?"I looked at the owner of the voice. "Leave me alone."He placed my glass away and took a sea
Pause, Rewind, Play 27. Multidimensional
October 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterina"You look ready for war," Dimitri said once I stepped out into the living room, his appreciative gaze slowly sliding down my entire body.Iwasready for war. I was wearing my favorite white blazer dress that I had paired with blood-red Louboutins. My makeup was dramatic and dark and my lip was colored a bold red. I had my armor on and I was ready to draw blood."I've realized that knights in shining armor don't exist in the real world," I said pointedly, referring to our very first conversation. "If you want something, you need to go get it yourself."A slight frown touched his forehead. "And what is it that you want?""Nothing you can afford," I told him as I crossed the living room, heading for the door.Dimitri grabbed my wrist. I wanted to murder all the goddamn butterflies in my stomach that dared to
Pause, Rewind, Play 28. Cliffhanger
October 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaMy phone ring startled me awake. It was the middle of the freaking night!Who the hell was it?"Ugh." I rolled to my side and grabbed my phone. The bright screen of the phone made me squint and I had difficulty reading the name on the screen. It took a moment for me to catch the name.Samuelson.I instantly picked up."Open your apartment door. I'm on my way up," he said without greeting.It took another moment for me to register what he was saying. When I did, my eyes snapped open. This was odd. What the hell was he doing here in the middle of the night? A cold shiver trickled down my spine. Something was off. It didn't feel right. Something had to be very wrong for him to be here without any prior notice, especially in the middle of the night."Is everything okay?" I sat up, slid m
Pause, Rewind, Play 29. Leverage
October 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaDimitri's call had stressed out all of us. Andrei and Mikhail seemed relieved to find out that the PI that had been worrying them was hired by Kate. But they were still stressed about having to tell Kate the entire truth. They were worried about what she would do once she found out.But a part of me was glad. I would finally be able to tell Kate the truth. Maybe then, she would hate me a little less.When we walked into her apartment, Kate was already sitting on the couch with her arms crossed. Samuelson was sitting on an armchair and he looked at me like he was relieved. I gave him a small smile. Or what I hoped looked like a smile.He gave me a short nod.I looked at Dimitri. He tore his gaze away from Kate to look at me. His face remained neutral but his eyes were giving me much-needed encouragement.
Pause, Rewind, Play 30. Soren
October 2026, Scars Bay, USA Katerina Mikhail stood up and paced around the room. "You didn't tell us that William saw you on your way out of Katerina's room." He turned to face Alya, his eyes calculative. "You went to Bellmont Hill and the manager saw you as well. Do you know what that means?" "I didn't think it was important..." Alya trailed off. That's when it hit me. "You found out your father was dead. You were crying and you looked distraught. Anyone would be able to tell that you had just received some terrible news." I turned to Mikhail. "You need to leave Will out of this. He didn't do anything. We need to get the manager. He is most definitely involved." "He didn't do it. He is probably just a pawn, working for Mo-" Andrei shut up without finishing his sentence. "You have a suspect," I stated. Andrei remained frustratingly silent.
Pause, Rewind, Play 31. Yes
October 2026, Scars Bay, USADimitriSipping on my morning coffee, I leaned against the window frame and watched Katerina look at her laptop screen intently as her fingers flew across the keyboard, creating a soft, rhythmic sound.The sunlight from the window pooled into the bedroom and sliced it in half, illuminating half of it and keeping the rest in the soft glory of muted morning light. Sunshine kissed the lower half of her body, painting over the olive skin of her arms and legs with a beautiful gold cast.Her eyes flickered to her phone lying next to the laptop and she tapped on the AirPods she was already wearing. "Cancel my meetings for the rest of the week."A woman's soft voice replied but I didn't care enough about it to actually listen to it. "Yes, even the one with Clarissa. If she throws a fit like last time, I give you permission to hang up on her." The woman s
Latest chapter
