Chapter 9
“I don’t care about your warnings, Ethan. I’m done with your lies, done with your games. You had seven years to be honest with me, to treat me like more than just Adam’s little sister you could toy with.”
“Emma-”
“No. I’m happy here with Adam. At least he’s shown me more genuine care in one day than you have in years. Don’t contact me again.” I hung up before he could respond, blocking his number with trembling fingers.
The silence of the room pressed in around me. Something nagged at the edge of my thoughts, a detail that didn’t quite fit. I sat up straighter, replaying Ethan’s panicked words.
Wait.
How did Ethan know about Adam’s current position? He’d spoken about Adam like he
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knew exactly who he was now – not the brother I’d left behind nine years ago, but the mafia king he’d become just five years back.
My chest tightened. Ethan had claimed to be Adam’s old friend, sure, but that was ancient history. Their supposed friendship predated Adam’s rise to power. There’s no way Ethan should have known about Adam’s current status unless…
I pulled my knees to my chest, mind racing. Either Ethan had been keeping tabs on my brother all these years, or he was more connected to this world than he’d let on. Neither option settled well in my stomach.
The luxury suite suddenly felt less like a sanctuary and more like a cage of questions. What else had Ethan been. hiding? And more importantly, what was the real connection between him and my brother?
Questions swirled in my head as I drifted
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off to sleep, my mind a maze of betrayals and half–truths. The soft mattress couldn’t
ease the weight of uncertainty pressing down on my chest.
Warmth against my palm pulled me from troubled dreams. My eyes fluttered open to find Nolan’s figure beside the bed, his strong hand wrapped in mine. Steam rose from the coffee cup in his other hand, the rich aroma filling the air.
I jerked upright, yanking my hand back. “What are you doing here?”
Those piercing green eyes locked onto mine, studying my face before his lips curved into a gentle smile. “You were crying in your sleep.” He set his coffee. down on the nightstand. “I came to check on you early this morning, found you tossing and turning.”
Heat crept into my cheeks. “So you just… stayed?”
“You grabbed my hand.” He flexed his
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fingers, as if remembering the touch. “Only then did you calm down. Seemed cruel to leave after that.”
I touched my cheeks, feeling the dried trails of tears I hadn’t known I’d shed. The memory of my dreams slipped away like smoke, leaving only an echo of distress. behind. But there was something steadying about Nolan’s presence, a quiet strength that made the morning feel less daunting.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure what exactly I was apologizing for.
“Don’t be.” He reached for his coffee again. “We all have our demons. Sometimes it helps just knowing someone’s there to face them with you.”
His words sank deep into my chest, stirring something I thought had died after Ethan’s betrayal. I studied Nolan’s profile in the soft morning light – the sharp line of his jaw, the subtle shadows under his eyes that hinted at sleepless nights. Everything about him radiated danger, from the way he held
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himself to the calculated grace of his
movements.
Adam’s right–hand man. The enforcer. The shadow that struck fear into the hearts of their enemies. Yet here he sat, offering me coffee and comfort after a nightmare.
My fingers traced the warm ceramic of the mug he’d brought, focusing on its solid presence to ground myself. “You don’t seem like what I expected.”
“And what did you expect?” The corner of his mouth lifted, those green eyes dancing with amusement.
“Someone… colder. More…”
“Murderous?”
I flinched at his bluntness, but he just chuckled, the sound low and rich. The dangerous edge never left him – it was there in the coiled strength of his shoulders, the vigilant way he positioned himself between me and the door. But rather than frightening me, it wrapped
