2026-05-11 23:38:39
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CHAPTER 152. THE BOX.
Zachary sat in the booth for a long moment after Vivienne finished speaking. His coffee had gone cold. He did not care. The caffeine had done its job, keeping him awake through her explanation, but now the exhaustion was creeping back in, settling into his bones like lead.He watched Vivienne across the table. She had picked up her mocha again and was staring into the mug, her reflection distorted in the dark liquid.Her shoulders were hunched and her jaw was still tight. She looked like a coiled spring, ready to snap at the slightest touch.‘She is going to burn herself out’, Zachary thought. ‘If she has not already’.He understood her. More than he wanted to admit. The need to find answers.The frustration of being so close and watching it slip away. The anger at herself for not being faster, smarter, better.He had been there. He was still there, most days.But he was too tired to sit with her any longer. Her presence felt like a weight pressing down on him, her intensity le
CHAPTER 151. MOCHA II
Abruptly , he released her arm. The silence stretched between them.Vivienne studied him for a long moment and her expression was unreadable. Then she sighed. It was a heavy sound, full of exhaustion and something that might have been guilt."Fine," she said. "But not here."She turned and called out to the security leader, who was still standing near the pillar, watching them with professional detachment. "You and your men can stand down. Return to your posts. I will signal if I need you."The leader nodded and gestured to his team. They melted back into the flow of employees, disappearing through a side door.Vivienne turned back to Zachary. "Come on.""Where?"She was already walking, her tablet tucked under her arm, her heels clicking against the marble. "There is a cafe a few blocks from here. Good coffee. Quiet. We can talk there."Zachary stared after her. "You want to get coffee? Now?"She stopped and looked back at him, one eyebrow raised. "You said you wanted an explanatio
CHAPTER 150. MOCHA.
"I need you in front of me," Vivienne suddenly said, ripping from his thoughts.He looked at her but she didn't even look up at him, her focus still on that damned tablet. But she must have felt his scrutiny because her voice was low and urgent when she continued. "Guide me. I cannot run into people while I am watching this."Zachary stepped ahead of her, positioning himself between her and the flow of foot traffic. Great. I am a human shield. Again."Keep going straight," he said.She nodded, her eyes still on the screen. Her fingers tightened around the edges of the tablet. He could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her jaw was set."There is a pillar coming up on the right," he added, scanning the crowd. "Nobody is coming from that direction. You are clear."She grunted in acknowledgment. They kept moving.The lobby seemed larger than before. The distance to the main entrance stretched out like a canyon. Zachary's heart was pounding now, a steady drumbeat in his chest. He
CHAPTER 149. BOUNTY.
But she didn't reply, too preoccupied with whatever was running in her mind.Zachary huffed and yelled after her.“Hey!" With a burst of speed, he quickened his pace, falling into step beside her. "You called off the helicopter. Why? What did you see?""I need to confirm something," she said, her voice tight. "Before I say anything.""Confirm what?"She glanced at him, and for a moment, he saw something flicker in those silver grey eyes. Excitement? Fear? He could not tell.He was too tired to guess, too drained to care about anything except getting answers."Just follow me," she hissed in annoyance.They reached the elevator.The doors opened immediately, like the building itself knew better than to make her wait. Vivienne stepped inside and Zachary followed. The doors closed, t
CHAPTER 148. BOUNCE
She didn't answer immediately. Her head was still bent over her tablet, her eyes still scanning whatever data was scrolling across the screen. Zachary was about to repeat himself, louder this time, when she finally spoke."No," she said, and there was something in her voice that he hadn't heard before. Apology, maybe. Or exhaustion. Or both. "I'm sorry. So much was happening that I forgot to explain, Young—Mr. Zachary."She stumbled over his name, catching herself at the last moment, and Zachary felt a flicker of something that might have been amusement despite his irritation. Even in the middle of a crisis, she was trying to maintain his cover."We are tracking the person right now," she continued, her pace quickening as they approached the door. "But we might lose them if we aren't moving. It's not as simple as that, but it's the best I can do. Follow me."She walked out the door without looking back.Zachary stood there for a moment, staring at the space where she had been. He
CHAPTER 147. THE THREAD.
Suddenly, she spoke up, startling him out of his less than charitable thoughts."Can you focus," she drawled, motioning for him to take in the situation from next to her.Her eyes and head were still focused on her screens, but the gesture was clear.‘Stop thinking so damn loudly. It's a pain,’Zach sneered at her, but he didn't want to stoop to her level and give her a retort of his own. Besides, he was way too tired to get into it with the woman.So he glanced at the monitors instead, watching the data scroll past. Lines of code. Numbers. A mess of information that made his already aching head throb."So," he said after a moment, breaking the silence. "What am I looking at here?"No response. Her fingers kept flying across the keyboard."Miss Asher.""Hmm?" She still refused to look up. Zachary was getting pissed now."You called me," he stressed through gritted teeth. "And you sounded pretty confident on the phone. Like you had good news."Her hands slowed for just a fraction of a
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