LILLYThe concern Callan had shown when I had been kidnapped must have evaporated as soon as he returned to New York. A day after we arrived, I received documents stating that Hayes Global had officially nullified the license agreement I had signed with my father. Additionally, there were claims concerning the rights as well as an official demand that my team and I deliver the project's full data.Of course, I expected that much, and after talking to my lawyer, I wasn't peculiarly bothered by what I received. I was even relieved since the license agreement worked in our favor only if we were still working for Hayes Labs. Now all I wanted was for the judge to state that all the rights belonged solely to me and my team. Once it happened, I could start thinking about founding my own company…Unfortunately, I couldn't focus on my work just yet. Not only because I had to move out of my apartment, but because I had to show up in court... Nicolas Rogers's case was about to begin.Raven happi
I breathed in sharply, but it felt as if no oxygen filled my lungs. I tried again and again, but it only became worse. My body began to shiver, and my hand reached for Lucien's arm, curling around it and squeezing until I caught his attention.His head finally snapped toward me. “What's wrong?” His eyes traced my features, his brows knitting.“There,” I breathed out, slowly raising my hand to point to the opposite side of the room. “The man in the black cap.”He turned around, blocking my view again. “I don't see anyone wearing a cap.”I leaned out to see. “An Asian guy…” My words faded as I found nothing but an empty space where I saw him. I swallowed, turning to Lucien. “He was here. The man who kidnapped me.”Lucien studied me for a moment. “Are you sure? Maybe you saw someone similar, or maybe it's just your mind playing tricks on you.”I shook my head. “I know what I saw.”He gave me a thin-lipped smile and nodded. “All right. Stay here while I check the corridors. If it's him, h
A shudder rushed throughout my body. Someone was inside the apartment. Someone was lurking in the darkness, perhaps standing a few feet away from me. I stayed still, listening to every sound, but I couldn't hear anything aside from my hammering heart. Swallowing hard, I took a cautious step toward the door.“I'm afraid I cannot let you leave,” a deep, male voice said.My head snapped to the left corner of the dark room, where the sound came from. Then I saw it—the shape of a man, emerging from the black of the night. He stepped into the part softly illuminated by light sneaking through one of the windows. He was wearing heavy boots, combat pants, and a black military-like jacket. A black cap on his head obscured most of his face from my view, but what I saw was enough to recognize him.“You tried to kidnap me,” I choked out, stumbling back.The man chuckled and stepped forward. “I had a foolish man for a partner then, but I won't fail this time.” He advanced at me and pulled out a gun
DARRENI refused to leave Lilly's side, even for a second, when the police finally showed up. I either had my arms around her or held her hand, silently swearing I would never leave her again.After Lucien told me that Lilly had seen one of her kidnappers in the courtroom, I had a feeling she might be in danger again. I wouldn't have been worried knowing that she was in my penthouse, but as soon as I found out that she was heading to her old apartment, I knew that something was bound to go terribly wrong.My instincts were right, but even my imagination underestimated the danger she was in. The thought that she might have been dead if I had shown up a minute later filled me with the worst kind of dread I had ever felt. I couldn't lose her. I could have lost everything else, but not her…Lilly testified at the police precincts for more than an hour. The detective thoroughly noted every detail she mentioned, but I expected the police investigation to end up with nothing. Lilly's attacke
This morning certainly deserved to be marked on the calendar. It deserved to be named the best morning I could remember. I woke up with Lilly in my arms, wrapped around her. I felt her breath on my chest as her head rested there, using me as her pillow. Her lips brushed my skin as she shifted slightly, and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. Peace—this was how it felt.I knew I should have moved. It was time for us to leave this bed and reacquaint ourselves with the harsh reality and all the unsolved problems, but I didn't want that for her. I would have sheltered her from the danger. I would have locked her here so I could handle everything alone, but I knew she wouldn't want that, and she would hate me if I even tried to restrict her freedom and the right to choose for herself. Nonetheless, I chose to be selfish and ignorant just a little longer. I wanted to savor this moment between us for just a few more minutes…“What time is it?” she murmured, nuzzling my ch
LILLYThe last thing I wanted was to feel defenseless again. I knew that Darren said that he would keep me safe, but I was sick and tired of not being able to protect myself. Of course, I was more than aware that I was not a Wonder Woman, and even months of hard training would not turn me into one, but I had to at least increase my odds. That was why I renewed my training sessions with Mr. Harada, asking him to teach me how to disarm my opponent.I spent at least three hours a day in a gym. Darren wasn't too happy about it since all my sessions were leaving me too exhausted for any other physical activity, but he understood why I needed to keep practicing. He supported me, he cared for me, and he endured my whining when my sore muscles limited my every move.After the recent events, Darren hired a driver-slash-bodyguard for me. I didn't object. I wasn't stupid enough to think that I didn't need protection. I knew that I still had a target on my back, even if our enemies stayed silent
DARRENI spent a few hours at the shooting range, showing Lilly how to handle her new weapon. She was a fast learner, picking up everything almost too quickly. I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed since I enjoyed correcting her posture by standing inappropriately close to her. Of course, I was proud of her. She had perfect aim, and she was able to leave perfect holes in the center of the shooting board as soon as she found the right grip to pull the trigger. Unfortunately, shooting a living person wasn't the same as shooting a floating piece of paper…Once I drove Lilly home, I went to the club to join Lucien, who had already spent hours watching the footage from the night Fen and Tim had gotten merrily drunk.“Found anything yet?” I asked, entering the security control room.Lucien glanced at me over his shoulder before turning his head back to the monitors. “I found our professor talking to at least four different women, but I doubt that any of them is the one we are looki
I found Lucien waiting for me by the elevators, impatiently tapping his foot against the marble floor. “So, what now?”I shrugged as I pressed the button to call the car down. “Now we wait.”“Do you have any idea how many flaws this plan has?” He gave me his best judgmental look before stepping into the car with me.I frowned. “If you have any better ideas, I'm listening.”“What if she doesn't take that purse to a meeting? Or what if she is meeting someone else?” He crossed his arms over his chest.“Can we worry about it after the initial plan fails?” I suggested.He stepped closer. “Are you going to meet with her if plan A won't work?”I thrust my hand through my hair. “I don't know. Maybe I'll have to.”He huffed. “I don't like this plan.”“So you said a few times already.” I sighed and shook my head.“Well, I'll say it again then,” he grunted.We exited the car and walked to my suite, where I had already set up and plugged the equipment. All we needed to do was activate the bug and