Thomas gripped his hand before he might fall, and it would cause a disaster."I'm fine," Alex breathed out, but sweat was already soaking through the expensive fabric of his suit, dampening the collar around his neck."Stay calm," Xavier whispered, his voice barely audible above the murmuring crowd. "They cannot...""Mr. Kane, can you give us a speech?" Philip interrupted, his tone deliberately taunting, each word designed to unsettle.Alex took deep, slow breath, forcing his lungs to cooperate, a reaction he refused to let the others see. His hands trembled slightly at his sides.Thomas held his hand too long, his grip firm and unwilling to release, as if letting go would mean watching Alex crumble entirely.He finally released him, and Alex started walking toward the stage. It felt as if every eye in the room were slicing bits of flesh from his legs with each step forward. The distance seemed impossible, stretching endlessly before him.His legs felt heavy, weighted down, as if he h

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURAs Alex entered the library, the world around him faded. The echoes of his heels against the floor were the only sounds that could be heard, rhythmic and solitary.He moved ultimately toward the shelf he had touched that day. The pile of books was dusty and rusty. As he laid his hand on the shelf, his breath seized.Anxiety washed all over him. Before he knew it, his legs could not hold his weight any longer. He was shaking like someone who had been thrown into a room full of ice, trembling from the inside out.This door held answers he needed to know, but still he was weary about getting inside, about what he might discover.Now he understood Xavier's hesitation. He was not really ready, but this needed to be done. There was no more time to waste.His scandal was out. The Consortium was lurking. Everyone he once knew was now his sworn enemy. What more would he uncover behind this door?Yeah, that was the only driving force he needed to confront whatever was behin

Diane sat in front of her laptop, trying to set up a video.The room they were in had already been transformed into a hospital setting.Emma was sleeping peacefully on a hospital bed, her body covered with a blanket. IV lines were attached to her arms. Her mother's chair was positioned beside her."The video is about to start, Emma." Diane said and tucked the blanket around her more securely."Do you think people believed us?" Emma asked, adjusting the IV lines."Last I checked, everyone pitied us. Isn't that what we wanted?" Diane stopped, adjusting the cameras. "Alex must pay, and he's already starting to. He can't just discard you after he's rich now. We made him, housed him, fed him." She paused. "He has a debt to pay. Especially to you."Emma didn't respond to her mother. She turned away, gathering tears in her eyes—probably an act they'd agreed on.Diane was about to click start when her phone buzzed loudly with messages.*"You fools. How dare you deceive us."**"Diane Williams

"You don't have to become a nuisance in here, Mr. Ryan. Kindly respect yourself." The prosecutor who'd been assigned to interrogate Diane and Ryan said this while rubbing his temples.His face was scrunched up. He was probably thinking it was a bad idea pairing these two up for interrogation.Diane tapped her fingers noisily on the table, her eyes fixed on the way the prosecutor's hands danced across his laptop."You can't tell me what to do, Mr... whatever your name is," Ryan yelled. "This woman here deserves to be jailed immediately. You're not doing your job well. And I won't stop until you understand how mischievous she is.""We understand what you're—""Can I request another room?" Diane asked, her voice quiet like she'd just woken up."You don't have the right to a personal room, Mrs. Diane, since this all concerns both of you." The prosecutor turned to Ryan, who was sitting beside her making infuriating sounds."I hope Mr. Ryan will comply with the investigation. Lest I forget,

The sound of a call jolted them out of their thoughts.Xavier was pacing around the room while Thomas still sat, his thoughts exploding.Alex looked around, checking for the ringing phone, and he realized it was his phone.He picked it up and checked the caller.Jessica?He dropped the phone back on the nearest stool, and Thomas reached for it."You want to ignore that?" He picked the phone up, shaking it in his hand and holding it up for Alex to see the caller clearly.Alex looked away from the phone. "I know who's calling. I'm not in my right mind right now. If I picked it up, I might say something stupid."Xavier stopped walking around and moved closer to them. "But I don't think it's nice not picking up. You stood her up at the Met Gala, remember?" He said, reaching for Thomas's hand and collecting the phone from him.Alex thought about Xavier's words. It was true he'd been so busy he didn't bother calling her back. That was a jerk move, truly. Explaining things wouldn't kill him.