جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

CATHRINEI stepped out of the Lyft with a bottle of Rosé in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. The December wind whipped through my coat, biting at my skin, but I barely felt it through the excitement. I was finally home.Jayden’s manor loomed ahead, glowing with holiday lights, picturesque as always. My heels clicked against the stone pathway as I buzzed myself in, replaying our last phone call.‘Katie, baby, please tell me you’re coming home for Christmas. I don’t think I can spend another week without you.’I giggled, nursing a cup of coffee as my secretary passed me some files to sign off on. ‘I’m sorry, but work has been so crazy. The firm had a last minute client and I’m this close to losing my mind.’He sighed. ‘I’ll miss you.’I smiled brightly, staring at the 24 karat diamond ring Jayden had used to propose. ‘I’m so sorry. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I love you.’‘I love you too Katie bear.’That was two days ago. Luckily I was able to wrap up just in time to c

CATHERINE The Detriot office buzzed like a beehive… deals, deadlines, and desperation hanging in the air. I inhaled deeply, letting the familiar chaos steady me.“Miss Catherine,” Shelly, my assistant, chirped. Her eyes flicked to my left hand,, my now bare ring finger. I pasted on my most polished smile, hiding the sting.“Something wrong?” I asked, though I already knew.She blinked, then gave a nervous laugh. “No, no! It’s just… you’d already said you were done for the year. I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”“I changed my mind,” I said coolly, adjusting my grip on my bag. “What’s on the docket?”Shelly hesitated. “Well… if you’re sure. There’s one project that’s behind schedule. Local election in Detroit. The mayoral race. It’s a mess but it’s winnable.” She handed me a folder with too many post-its.I nodded, taking my coffee and heading toward my office. Shelly followed, rattling off deadlines.“The candidate’s high-profile, lots of donor traction. He’s got the funding,

CATHERINE My ears rang like someone had set off a bomb inside my skull. The air was thick with smoke, a burnt chemical tang that clung to my throat and made it impossible to breathe properly. Screams tore through the air, people stumbling over each other like dominoes in a blind panic. My heart pounded so violently I thought it might burst.I turned around in the chaos, disoriented. Then I felt a strong hand gripping my wrist.“Come on,” Mr Turner said, his face tight with tension. “Stay close to me Catherine.”I could barely hear him through the ringing in my ears, but I caught enough. Still, I shook my head. My eyes frantically scanned the crowd. “Stacey… she -““I’ll make sure she’s okay,” he shouted through the screams, cutting me off. “I promise. But first, we need to get you out of here.”Something in the way he said it made me believe him. I took one last desperate look through the smoke and nodded. He didn’t hesitate. With one arm still around me, he bulldozed through the cro

CATHERINEBy the time the last winner had come up to claim their prize, a giant teddy bear and a dinner voucher, Ronald had made his way closer.“You ready?” he asked, his voice low enough that only I could hear it.I hesitated, glancing around. Everything was winding down. Ellie was blowing kisses at a small group of kids while nurses packed up decorations.“Yeah,” I finally said. “Let me grab my bag.”He offered his arm, and after a moment’s hesitation, I took it. It felt… natural. Way too natural.The drive to the town gala was quiet at first, a soft instrumental playing in the background as the town rolled past in festive blurs of gold and white lights.Then Ronald spoke.“I meant what I said, you know.”I looked at him. “About the donation?”“About why I came,” he said, eyes still on the road. “You have this way of making things feel… real. Like maybe all this political noise actually matters.”I didn’t know what to say to that so I didn’t say anything. This was just business.Th

RONALDI blew out a breath, staring at the mess in front of me. I’d expected some kind of ploy or Lydia’s desperate attempt to get my attention but this?“I need you to tell me exactly what happened here.” I said in a low voice.Lydia stepped forward, wrapping her arms around herself. Her eyes were dull, makeup smudged and her hair a mess. “I… I came home from the bar,” she said, her voice trembling, “and the front door was unlocked.”I raised a brow.“I thought I’d just forgotten to lock it, I do that sometimes, but then I walked into the kitchen and…” Her eyes dropped to the body on the floor, the pool of crimson still spreading. “He was already inside. I think he was looking for something. I panicked, Ronald.”“So you killed him because he was looking for something?” I crossed my arms. “Let me guess, some mess you’ve gotten yourself tangled up in again.”She looked away with a tight jaw and I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.“I don’t have time for this, Lydia. I’m running fo