Share
29. Leverage
October 2026,
Scars Bay, USA
Alyanna
Dimitri'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.
Related chapters
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
Pause, Rewind, Play 32. Glide through Life
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaAlaric was a great artist. That was an undeniable fact.There were a few paintings of his that I could look at for hours without getting bored. There were so many intricate details in them that the longer you look at them, the more things you find. This one, in particular, was the painting of the High Street, one of the main streets in downtown Scars Bay."I'm not sure which view is more beautiful to behold- you or that painting," I heard a deep voice say from beside me. I recognized the voice but it sounded a little different than it did a few years ago. It was deeper, more confident, and had an edge that hinted at dangerous promises. It commanded attention and respect, which, if not given, would be taken by force.I turned to look at Soren. It wasn't just his voice that had changed. He looked like a completely different person. H
Pause, Rewind, Play 33. Gala
November 2026,Scars Bay, USADimitri"You look absolutely stunning, Katerina" a guy complimented as he looked at her from head to toe and pressed his hand against his heart. "I don't know how those art pieces are ever going to compete with you for everyone's attention."Katerina laughed lightly. "Thank you, Tomas. I-""You will burn a hole through him if you glare at him any harder." William's amused voice distracted me from the conversation I was eavesdropping on. "I wouldn't recommend that. Kate has a huge savior complex. That might work against you."I looked at Katerina's brother. The two of them were polar opposites in almost every way - all the way from physical appearance down to basic nature - and yet, the two were very close. It would be good for me to be in his good books and not take his bait. "Good evening, William." I smiled."Come, let'
Pause, Rewind, Play 34. 48 Hours
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaGrowing up, Alaric had always been the cool father. There were times when I used to see him with Alya and wish for my dad to be like him. While he always treated me as his daughter, the bond he shared with Alya was incomparable.While my father also did his best, he was so busy that he didn't get very many opportunities to do it very often. Because of that, I was closer to Alaric than my own father. Well, that was until we thought Alaric left and I started disliking him.I remembered him enjoying classical music but what Ididn't know was that Alaric had an entire collection of Vinyls in his office. But I suppose it was normal to not remember details of a place you have been only a handful of times more than a decade ago.As I went through it, I realized that it was mostly classical music and I didn't recognize most of t
Pause, Rewind, Play 35. Roots
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaI called him again as I rode up the elevator to his apartment.In classic Jayden fashion, he did not answer.Rolling my eyes, I walked down the hallway and entered the pin to his apartment. The edges of my lips tugged up when the door unlocked. Jayden might not have come to tonight's gala but the code to his apartment was still Alya's birthdate. It always has been. He could say whatever he wanted but I considered this proof that he didn't completely hate her. Maybe, there was still hope.I opened the door and walked in. I didn't know what I had been expecting when I walked in but it certainly wasn't this.The apartment smelled fresh, there were no empty bottles of alcohol, takeout containers, or the stale smell of heartbreak. In fact, I spotted a vase full of day-old lilies in a corner. If this was any evidence, Jayden was doing a
Pause, Rewind, Play 36. One Chance
November 2026, Scars Bay, USA Katerina Alya was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, her back against the bed and a drink in her hand. With her other hand, she played with a ring hanging off the necklace she was wearing. She looked up and her teary, red-rimmed eyes met mine. Oh no. I walked over to her, wanting to take a seat beside her but my dress wouldn't allow that. So with a bit of difficulty, I took it off. Only in a pair of panties and a bra, I lowered myself beside her. She looked over at me, her gaze lingering on my face, neck, and then chest before she looked away entirely. What was that about? "You should wear some clothes. It's winter," she whispered. "It's warm in here. I'm fine; you don't need to worry about me." I took the glass from her hand and placed it aside. "I was d
Pause, Rewind, Play 36. Empty
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaCold water hit my face and cascaded down my body.'He didn't have the luxury of hope of a future together like you did.'Tears welled up in my eyes. Heartache formed a ball in my throat, choking me up.How could I have not thought of it? How could I have been so callous? How could I have been so self-centered in my misery that I failed to see how it would have affected the one person I cared about the most?I had hurt Jay more than I could have even imagined. I had hurt the one person I love with all my heart. The one person I never wanted to hurt. The one person I stayed away from by telling my broken and bruised heart that while he might be hurt, he was at least safe. Alive. But it seemed like he hadn't done much of living. Just like me. He had been hanging on to the past. Just like me. But unlike
Latest chapter
