Novels by Derek

I quickly opened my cloud drive and logged in. The username and password worked fine. I checked the login history; the last login was from yesterday when I uploaded the censored video.That meant my cloud storage was secure. And the version on there was the one with the blurred face. So that was out.Could someone have used data recovery software on this computer last night to restore the video I deleted?Who would do that? And how would they know I had edited the video on this machine in the first place?Wait. My phone.Back in Ayara, I had told Caleb I had a video of him and Avara at the gay bar. He would have known I filmed it with my phone and that the video was stored there. And it wasn't just Laura Wells who was present; a few of his subordinates were there too. Any of them could have heard me.But who? Who had access to my phone?My mind instantly flashed to Will Carter. He had borrowed my phone last night to make a call, and he had been acting so nervous. I was in the shower f

I didn't bother thinking about it and just left for work.On the way, I stopped at a pharmacy to buy a box of aspirin. When I got to the office, Ava wasn't there yet, just like yesterday. I went into her office to check on the roses. They were still in full bloom.I changed the water in the vase, crushed an aspirin tablet into it, and used a spray bottle to mist the petals and leaves. I’d read online that this could help them last longer.Not long after I returned to my desk, Ava arrived. As usual, she was dressed in a sharp business suit, her heels clicking as she walked past me without a glance, offering only a cool reply to my greeting before disappearing into her office.I didn't go in to tease her. I focused on my work.Around ten o'clock, a commotion erupted from the main office area, punctuated by a familiar, angry shout:"Kian Shaw! Where are you? Get your sorry self out here!"Hearing that voice, I frowned. It was Caleb Vance.What was he doing here? And why was he shouting f

I glanced around the apartment once before heading into the kitchen with the groceries.Just as she'd said, her kitchen had everything. All the tools and spices were there. It looked like she had been serious about learning to cook.As I started to prep, I called out to the living room to ask if she wanted to learn. She shot back a simple, decisive "No."I spent about half an hour in the kitchen, pan-frying some small fish, making a pork and eggplant stir-fry, a small pot of pork rib and squash soup, and a side of sautéed greens. The small portions made it easier to get the flavors just right.After setting the table, I called out a few times. Ava finally emerged from her room, dressed in long-sleeved pajamas. The moment the aroma hit her, her pace quickened."Let's eat," I said, placing a bowl of rice in front of her."Thanks."She didn't stand on ceremony. She sat down, took a bite of the eggplant, and let out a long, appreciative "Mmm.""Kian, I didn't know you were such a good coo

Ava didn't answer right away. Instead, she just looked at me with a knowing, triumphant gleam in her eyes.I couldn't help but smile. "Ms. Barlow, you're not going to use this opportunity to lay down some ground rules, are you? Like no confessions of love, no kissing, no teasing..."A smirk played on her lips. "Hmph. If you ever try anything like that again, I'll march straight to Zane Irwin's office and sign the papers to have you thrown out."I shook my head. "No, you won't. Because you're an upstanding, kind, and noble person. You're the very image of the goddess Athena, a perfect blend of beauty and wisdom. But in my heart, you're even purer and more beautiful than Athena. You are, without a doubt...""No smooth-talking your boss during work hours," she interrupted, trying her best to sound serious while holding back a smile."Understood. So, let's get back to it. Will you have my back?""If Zane Irwin really pushes it that far, I'll go to the general manager and explain the situa

I wasn't bluffing. If I didn't get a satisfactory answer from Caleb Vance by noon tomorrow, I'd upload the censored version of the video and find a way to get it into Mandicor's company group chats.The video probably wouldn't make its way to the Kingdom of Katha, and even if it did, Avara's face was blurred. No one would know who he was—except me, Ava, and Caleb.After Caleb left, I finished my lunch and sat for a little while, enjoying the quiet afternoon.As I got up to leave, I ran into Laura Wells coming through the door.I paused. She must have been waiting for me."Hello, Kian," Laura said calmly. She wasn't surprised to see me, which confirmed she had come looking for me."Hello," I replied, just as calmly."Can I talk to you for a minute?""Go ahead."Laura looked down, seeming to hesitate. "About what happened in Ayara, when you were arrested... I know some of what happened. I'm sure it wasn't Caleb. He doesn't have that kind of power or money. So please, don't make things h

I didn't leave the video on the company computer. I uploaded it to my personal cloud storage and deleted the local file.When lunchtime came, I skipped lunch and took a cab straight to Mandicor Tech Solutions, which was also headquartered in Starlight City.I found a quiet fast-food place near their building and called Laura Wells."Kian?" Laura sounded surprised when she answered."It's me," I said flatly."Weren't you... taken away by the police? Are you okay?""Looks like Caleb didn't tell you. I've been fine for a while now.""Oh. Well, that's good. I'm glad you're okay."I didn't want to waste time. "Is Caleb there? I need to talk to him. You know I don't have his number.""What do you want with him?" Her voice immediately became guarded."Relax, I'm not going to hit him. I just want to discuss a deal."There was a moment of silence on the line before Laura said, "Hold on."A few seconds later, Caleb Vance's cool voice came through. "Kian?""Mr. Vance.""I hear you want to make a