Chapter 86
Chapter 86
The city lights blink up at me–little assholes taunting me as the jet lands back in the Imperial Pack.
Ugh, why did we have to go home?
Just hours ago, I was lying on white sand, soaking up the last bits of sun while Enoch had his mouth all over me, making me forget I was even capable of thought.
Now I’m back here. In this cold–ass, power–hungry, wolf–infested city.
“Ugh.” I groan under my breath, dragging my fingers through my hair as I lean against the window. I don’t even want to move. Maybe if I stay on this plane, they’ll just fly me back to paradise. Or at least away from reality for a little longer.
But of course, reality isn’t that fucking kind.
“Come on, baby.” Enoch’s voice is low and raspy in my car, and I swear I feel his smirk without even looking.
His hand grazes the curve of my waist, and just like that, my body is a traitor. Heat prickles under my skin as his thumb circles lazily over my hip.
“We can go back,” he murmurs, his lips brushing against my temple. “Or better yet…” His hand slides lower, gripping my thigh possessively.
“We can stay at the palace. Spend a few more days fucking. I’ll make you forget what work even is.”
My eyes damn near roll back into my skull at the way his voice dips, sending shivers down my spine. But nope. Not happening. I’m not falling for that again.
“Tempting,” I mutter, peeling myself away before I throw my dignity out the window and climb onto his lap mid–flight. “But I have shit to do, Enoch.”
His grip tightens slightly, his jaw ticking as I straighten up, putting some distance between us. I don’t even need to look to know that possessive glint is flashing in his eyes.
“Work can wait,” he says, the words almost growled. “You’ve been running yourself ragged. You need rest.”
“And I’ll rest after I submit these files.” I glance at him, trying to soften the blow, but he’s already looking at me as though I’ve just shattered his favorite toy. Fuck.
“Files?” His brow furrows. “For Liam?”
Shit.
I avert my gaze too quickly, giving myself away as a damn amateur. “Yeah,” I mumble, trying to make it casual, but the air in the cabin instantly shifts. Thick. Heavy. And absolutely suffocating.
“Of course,” he mutters, his voice dropping to that dangerous octave that sends every warning bell screaming in my head.
“Enoch…“I sigh, but before I can even think of explaining, he’s already standing, running a hand through his hair and putting a frustrating amount of space between us.
“I get it.” His tone is clipped. Cold. “Liam.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“Don’t do that,” I snap, my patience hanging by a thread. “It’s work, Enoch. You think I want to see his smug face?”
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Chapter 86
But the damage is done. His back is to me now, his shoulders rigid as hell, and I know that silence is louder than any argument we could have.
“Fucking great,” I mutter under my breath, collapsing back into my seat and glaring out the window as if it’s to blame for this
mess.
I didn’t ask for any of this. For Liam’s bullshit. For Enoch’s damn possessive streak that flares up every time another man’s name leaves my lips.
But here I am.
And I can’t even be mad about it because I know damn well I’d be just as psychotic if the roles were reversed.
“Okay, but what the actual fuck?” Zoe’s voice practically vibrates across the desk as she leans toward me, her face scrunched in disbelief.
“Brooke gave me a ticket back after one fucking day. One! Can you believe that? I didn’t even have time to breathe.”
I bite back a laugh as she slams her iced coffee down.
“She hates you.” I smirk, eyes glued to my laptop as I scroll through my drafts. “I mean… not surprising. You’re kinda loud”
“Wow, thanks,” Zoe deadpans, flipping me off before sinking back into her chair. “But seriously. I was this close to making it. One more day and I could’ve gotten an inside scoop. But noooo. Miss ‘I’ve–Got–A–Stick–Up–My–Ass‘ decided I was a liability.”
“You are a liability,” I mumble, my lips twitching as I hear her gasp dramatically.
“You wound me, Sinclair,” she pouts, pressing a hand to her chest as if she’s fucking dying. “But you’re right.” Her face drops. “I never should’ve trusted those royals. They play dirty.”
“Exactly.” I lean back, eyes finally meeting hers. “Never trust anyone in that palace, Zoe. They’ll use you, then toss you aside when you’re no longer useful. You’re either a pawn or collateral damage.”
Her brows furrow, and I can feel the wheels turning in her head. “Then why do you trust the King?”
My throat goes dry.
“I don’t.” The lie rolls off my tongue before I can even think, and I force a tight–lipped smile. “Not completely.”
“Bullshit.” She narrows her eyes, but I shut her up with a sharp glare before she can dig deeper.
Not now.
*****
My fingers fly across the keyboard as I double–check the file. Every sentence is polished. Every angle covered. And Enoch? Ugh.
Let’s just say I’ve painted him as the goddamn second coming of Christ.
This? This is the opposite of what Liam asked for. There’s nothing “controversial” about it. If anything, it’s a fucking love letter disguised as an article.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, leaning back as I rub my eyes.
I know what I’m doing. I know Liam’s going to lose his shit when he reads this. But screw him. I’m not going to drag Enoch
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Chapter 86
through the mud. Not aher everything he’s done.
But I’m also not gonna drag this opportunity either. So I reveal Enoch’s controversial secrets and get the opportunity Fm looking for, and then I’m out.
“Puck it.” I press save, my heart pounding as 1 stare at the wreen.
I know I shouldn’t betray Enoch like this
But I don’t
And I won’t
I did write it a little too good to be true than the murderer rumors he’s been laced with. But still, these are his secrets.
I can’t do that to him.
Right?
Well I’m fucking doing it.
I shouldn’t be sweating. It’s just a goddamn door. A piece of wood. But here I am, standing in front of Liam’s office–the gates of fucking hell.
My laptop is clutched to my chest like it’s my lifeline. Because it is.
I can’t do this.
My fingers tighten around the cool metal, the slight hum of the machine vibrating under my fingertips.
I’ve been standing here for what–five minutes? Ten? Long enough for the damn secretary to look up from her nails and give me side–eye.
1 inhale, then exhale, just like those stupid breathing techniques Zoe showed me after I almost passed out the first week
here.
Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.
But it doesn’t do shit to stop the war waging inside me.
The article’s done. Perfectly fucking polished. Liam wanted controversy, something that’ll break the internet, but I gave him fluff. Safe, sanitized fluff that paints Enoch in the best light possible.
Because I can’t do it. I can’t betray him like this. I’m already revealing his secrets and coating it in praises doesn’t change the fact that I wrote it behind his back.
My hand hovers over the door, knuckles barely grazing the polished wood. Just knock, Taryn. One little tap. It’s not that
hard.
But my feet had other plans.
Fuck it.
I turn, ready to bolt as the fucking coward I am, when-
“Ms. Sinclair.”
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Shit.
11)
I freeze. Liam’s secretary, a woman who looks as if she chews up interns for breakfast and spits out their bones, is staring at me with raised brows and the kind of judgment that makes me want to crawl into a hole.
“Mr. Calloway will see you now.”
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.
My feet betray me, moving before my brain catches up. Next thing I know, I’m inside Liarn’s office, and the door clicks shut behind me.
Game over.
Liam doesn’t look up at first. He’s leaning back in his leather chair, eyes glued to the screen in front of him, fingers drumming rhythmically on his desk.
The glow from his monitor casts sharp angles across his face, making him look even more intimidating than usual.
“Sit.”
It’s not a suggestion.
I drop into the chair as though my knees finally gave out. My laptop stays glued to my chest, and I pray it can physically protect me from whatever the hell is about to happen.
“Did
you
finish it?” His tone is cool. Casual. But I’m not stupid. I can feel the ruthlessness behind his words.
I don’t answer. I can’t. My throat’s too dry, and my mouth tastes like fucking regret.
Liam’s eyes finally lift to mine, and I swear, he sees right through me.
“Taryn.”
I swallow. Hard. “Yeah,” I croak. “It’s… done.”
Liam nods once, he expected nothing less. But then-
“Good.” He leans forward, his elbows resting on the desk, and his gaze sharpens. “Because I have something for you.”
My stomach drops.
He slides a file across the desk. Just a simple manila folder. Nothing fancy. But the it feels a fucking ton.
“What’s this?” My voice comes out hoarse, barely above a whisper.
Liam’s lips curl into something that’s almost a smile, but not quite. “What you’ve been waiting for.”
My heart skips a beat. No. No fucking way.
“I got the access.” His eyes gleam with something dangerous. “The Imperial Palace files. Everything you wanted to know about your parents, their deaths… the truth.”
The breath whooshes out of my lungs as if I’ve been punched.
“The truth.” My fingers twitch, aching to grab the file. But I don’t. Not yet.
Liam watches me like a predator, though he knows exactly how fucked I am right now. And he’s right.
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“I kept my end of the bargain, Sindair” His tone is softer now, almost gentle. Pat the steel underneath is imposible to miss. “Now it’s your turn.”
My grip tightens on my laptop. No. No. No.
This is it. The moment I’ve been waiting for since the day I stepped into this godforsaken city. I came here to find answers. To figure out what happened to my family. To uncover the secrets that have haunted me for years.
And now…
It’s right fucking in front of me.
But at what cost?
All I have to do is hand him the file. Give him the article that’ll blow Enoch’s secrets wide open.
It doesn’t even matter that I wrote it in his favor. Liam doesn’t give a shit about the tone. He wants the dirt. The secrets. The controversy.
And I’m holding it hostage.
I glance at the folder again. My parents‘ faces flash in my mind. Their laughter. Their warmth. Gone.
Because of lies.
Because of secrets.
My throat tightens. I could end it. I could finally know.
But I’d have to betray Enoch to do it.
The man who trusted me. The man who left me to protect me.
I clench my jaw so hard it hurts. My fingers dig into the metal of my laptop, nails biting into my skin.
Liam’s watching me. Waiting.
“What’s it gonna be, Sinclair?”
Fuck.
My hand trembles. My heart pounds so loud I can barely think.
One choice.
Truth or betrayal.
Love or loyalty.
I can’t breathe.
“Taryn.” Liam’s voice cuts through the chaos in my head.
“Give me the file.”
My fingers loosen.
“Or walk away.”
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And just like that-
I’m standing at the edge of the fucking cliff.
