Chapter 111

KISAREL.I kissed him back.I wanted to take this moment into memory as much as I could.Not because I loved my boss. No. But because... Because I just had to. Or because something in me knew that this—this man unraveling in my arms—was a version of him I might never see again."I'll never do anything to hurt you, ever again. I promise." He said against my lips.I nodded.We were quiet for a moment, his forehead pressed against mine, just breathing each other in. Then he spoke."Tell me," He paused, "Did Jace touch you today?"I wanted to pull away and look him in the eyes while I answered that strange question, but his hand came to the back of my neck, keeping me right where he wanted me."Oceans...""Just answer me, Kiss." He whispered."No. He didn't."He heaved a sigh. His whole body seemed to release a muscle in his jaw that had been locked tight."Did he touch you yesterday?""Oceans? What the hell...""Please, baby. Answer me." His fingers tightened a little at the back of my n

Chapter 112

OCEANS.The moment she called the name, Nessa, every living cell in my body came alive.For a second, my mind drifted to a certain blonde-haired, dimpled, sweet-smelling woman from Minnesota, whose ghost still hunts me till today.Vanessa.I could swear I still see her sometimes, in random places that don't make sense.Once, about three years after she died, I thought I saw her in a grocery store.Of all places.One would think that if her ghost were ever to haunt me, it would be in some rain-dark street where such scenarios could be a bit more dramatic.But, a fucking grocery store?I had gone in because Harold had dragged me out of the office after forty-eight hours of work and told me I needed to eat something that had not been poured into a glass.I remembered standing near the checkout aisle, irritated by the music playing overhead, and even by the old woman counting coupons in front of me.Then I saw her.She was standing three aisles away, near the section with bottled water an

Chapter 113

OCEANS.Reeves crossed the office and placed a black folder on my desk. “The Heights residence.”I opened it.Several printed images slid into view. A house behind a tall gate, night footage, Jace’s car entering, and Fred arriving nineteen minutes later through the side entrance.“It’s owned by Caldwyn Holdings,” Reeves said. “No direct listing under Fred Harry or Jace Kellerman. But the managing agent has handled seven leases for Harry Property Group in the last twenty-six months.”“So Fred owns it without owning it.”“That would be the practical reading.”I flipped to the next page, which contained bank records and marked transfers.“Jace has been receiving payments from a consulting firm tied to that same network,” Reeves continued. “The payments are labeled as 'Strategic Advisory Retainers.' Three in total. One shortly after he and Miss Harry publicly resumed wedding preparations. The week after she left Fred's house. On the day after her hospital discharge.”My grip tightened on

Chapter 114

KISAREL.I couldn't get over the text I received from Oceans last night."I have a surprise planned out for you tonight. Be prepared."It was stupid how many times I had read it.Even stupider that I had fallen asleep with my phone in my hand and woken up smiling at the screen like a girl with no memory of pain.I read it eleven times last night. Then three more times this morning, standing in Jace's kitchen with a cup of coffee growing cold in my hands.A sheepish grin kept threatening to expose me as I walked into SSC that morning. I tried to push it down before anyone noticed, but it kept coming back, soft and foolish and completely beyond my control.I desperately looked forward to it all night. At least, it made up for the argument we had before he sent that text about two hours later.Oceans had ordered me to leave Jace's house. I wanted to. I swear, I did. But Jace... He cares about my health and safety. He had been firm about me staying with him until we understood what had ha

Chapter 115

KISAREL."Moonie asked, and I could say no."Those words kept resounding in my subconscious like it was a mantra. They followed me everywhere - the cafeteria, the restroom, even to the two meetings Oceans had with his board, which he didn't allow me to be a part of.He had asked me to wait for him in the small anteroom just outside the conference hall, which was extremely strange.I usually sat in on those meetings, taking notes and organizing documents for him. But today, he had taken the files from my hand at the door and said, “Wait here.”At some point, Noella came out and asked for the supplementary valuation file Oceans had requested earlier.She was in there, but I wasn't.I tried not to read meanings to these things. Maybe he just didn't want our secret to become too obvious to everyone, and that's why he did the things he did sometimes... That had to be it. It had to make sense, because I couldn't keep up with dealing with this ache in my heart each time I thought about it.S

Chapter 116

KISAREL.By four in the evening, I had read the same email four times and still could not remember what it was about.My fingers hovered over the keyboard, but my mind kept slipping away from the screen and crawling back to Oceans’ message from last night.I hated that I still looked forward to it. After everything that happened today, that stupid message was still the thing keeping me from packing my bag and leaving the office without looking back.I was pathetic, yes, but I wasn't leaving until I found out what he had planned.The office door opened, and Moonie walked in. She looked radiant, and that annoyed me to a point of embarrassment.She glowed in a soft champagne dress that hugged her body without begging for attention, with her blonde hair falling over one shoulder. She was perfect.She didn't even acknowledge me at all.She just walked straight to Oceans's office, pushed the door open, and disappeared inside.I watched through the glass as Oceans looked up from the files sp