2025-01-14 11:06:42
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CHAPTER 828
She looked at Katerina, her gaze steady and deceptively humble. "I don't have much left, Katerina. The estates are gone. The ledgers the Professor carries are all we have to bargain with for a new life. But I wanted to come home.”She paused, letting a soft, practiced vulnerability enter her voice. “I wanted to be among people who understand that power isn't about how much you can destroy... but how much you can preserve."Katerina Sokolov’s expression softened, her predatory suspicion melting into a satisfied, maternal arrogance. She relished the role of savior to a broken branch of her own dynasty, especially one that arrived bearing ledgers and secrets."You speak with a wisdom beyond your years, dear Portia," Katerina purred, reaching across the crystal table to lay her hand over Persis’s. "Your uncle was right to bring you to me.”“The other family and their ilk are a temporary storm; we are the bedrock. Since you’ve been under the Professor's care for so long, I think it’s ti
CHAPTER 827
"Look at the winter garden, Portia," Svetlana cooed, her voice dripping with a saccharine malice that never reached her eyes. She gestured toward the glass-enclosed atrium where rare white orchids bloomed in artificial frost."They’re quite delicate, aren't they?" Svetlana continued, her gaze scanning Portia for any sign of a hidden spark. "The climate control is state-of-the-art. It ensures that nothing, and no one, gets too hot or too cold.” A sly smile pulled at her lips. “It’s all about balance. Don't you think it’s just... cute? So much more refined than those vulgar, sprawling estates the Washingtons favor. I always felt those high walls were more for keeping things in than keeping things out."Svetlana didn't wait for an answer.Her heels clicked sharply against the polished floor as she guided the group of elite women past the floral displays. She moved with a predatory grace, ensuring everyone in the room saw the disgraced woman trailing behind her like a shadow. To them
CHAPTER 826
"Morning," Tedmond said, his eyes sweeping the room.Thomas looked up, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "You're up early. Rough night?""Something like that," Tedmond replied, his voice still thick with the remnants of a restless sleep.He pulled out the chair at the head of the table but didn't sit. His gaze remained fixed on the empty place setting where a steaming cup of Earl Grey usually waited.Thomas paused, his fork hovering mid-air as he took in the sharp, restless energy radiating off the younger man."You look like you're ready to charge into a war zone, Tedmond. Sit. Eat. Albert's already tracked three more Sokolov shell companies while you were dreaming of demolition."Tedmond didn't move. His eyes narrowed, scanning the quiet corners of the breakfast nook. "Where is she, Thomas? Is she still in bed, or did she beat me down here?"Thomas blinked, genuine confusion crossing his weathered face."The Madam? No, young master. I've been down here since five-thirty prepping the
CHAPTER 825
At the mention of the professor, Persis felt a familiar prickle of dread.Despite the gravity of their mission and the fact that Jaxson was a grown man with a federal badge, she knew exactly what was coming.Jaxson lived for the cringe.He had spent their entire childhood perfecting the art of the tactical embarrassment, and she knew he wouldn't be able to resist using this persona to make her life miserable, all under the guise of staying in character.It was his favorite way to get even, and clearly, he intended to have a very good time doing it.Jaxson adjusted his spectacles, the wire rims catching the sterile light of the loft. He gave her a look of mock-wounded dignity that was so perfectly Professor Arthur it made Persis's skin crawl."Cliché is a safety net, Persis," Jaxson replied in that new, quavering baritone, sounding as though he'd aged forty years in forty seconds. "And if you think this is cringe, wait until we're in the foyer, and I start lecturing the coat-check gi
CHAPTER 824
He glanced at her in the dim light of the dashboard. "I seriously hope you don’t get yourself killed. Because if the Sokolovs don't finish me for the trespass, Tedmond certainly will.”His gaze turned deadly serious.“If you die on my watch, I’m a dead man before I can even pull my service weapon. He won't just fire me; he’ll erase me from the family tree."Persis didn't smile. She was already pinning back her hair, her movements clinical."Tedmond won't kill you, Jax. He needs you to manage the fallout when I hand him the Sokolovs on a silver platter. Besides," she added, her voice dropping into a dangerous, low hum, "I have no intention of dying. I have too much work to do."***They reached Jaxson’s safe house: a stark, modern loft hidden behind the crumbling facade of an old textile warehouse. Inside, the walls were a hive of monitors displaying scrolling data and high-resolution surveillance of the city’s power players. The location was so deep off the grid that even the Bure
CHAPTER 823
"Then let's get you out of here," Jaxson said, gesturing toward the door. "I’ve got a safe house in the Damon district. No cameras, no Washington trackers. We'll get your disguise ready there."Persis didn't pack a bag. She grabbed her blade, a change of clothes she’d hidden in the library, and her burner phone. As she followed Jaxson out the service door and into the cool night air, she didn't look back. She was running from the man she loved to save the legacy he was trying to protect.As the sedan pulled away, she watched the light in their bedroom window fade. Tedmond would be furious, but for once, she would be more than just a woman for him to protect.*****The black sedan glided toward the massive perimeter gates, its engine barely a whisper in the pre-dawn stillness. Usually, the automated sensors would recognize Jaxson’s FBI-registered vehicle and yield, but as they approached, the heavy iron bars remained stubbornly locked. Instead, the floodlights atop the guard post
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