ler moved like two par

In the dark web' s exclusive circles, their names-Ghost and Shadow-were a b

, it was everything. She had loved him for as long as she could remember, a quiet, constant ache hidden behind a professional mask.

before Ch

e daughter of a tech mogul with too many enemies. From the moment Ethan saw her, something shif

land jokes. He brought her coffee just the way she liked it. He started ig

heir world tilte

the job. Ethan was playing the client, building rapport. But she knew his tells. She k

focused on the perimeter checks, the surveillance logs, the thousand little de

n a hail of gunfire, but in the

tel room door was slightly ajar. She raised her hand to knock, bu

te. "She' s just... intense. Alway

s of patching him up, pulling him from burning buildings, ta

rhythm against her ribs. She walked to the end of the hall, pulled

g. A crisp, formal voice answered. "

ice sounding foreign and thin. "I

pause. "One mom

through the line, a voice she associated with boardro

ff on her tongue. "You once told me about an a

h-backed leather chair, staring out at th

y, his tone unreadable. "You

id, her voice flat. "Is the

ut... unconventional. He doesn' t get out much. Are you sure about this,

mile for Chloe burning in her mind. "I want a q

id. The deal was struck. Just lik

he cool wall of the hallway. It was done.

ag and her few personal belongings into another. When she was fini

, Chloe clinging to his arm, l

n," A

crossing his face before he smoo

e looked Ava up and down, a

imply. "I' m quitting. The

hat are you talking about? Don' t be dramatic. Is this because I s

than. Not anymore," she said,

m and took a step toward Ava. "You can' t be 'done.' We' re Gh

a permanent fixture in his life, one he could ignore or

me,"

onal was gone, replaced by a possessive, angry man. "Who' s going to hire you? You' re just the muscl

ities, the ones she' d only ever confessed to him in

playing on her lips. She stepped forward and slid her h

with fake sweetness. She looked at Ava, her eyes gleaming with tr

it was the final, crushing weight. Ava looked at the man she had loved, the

ne who had been a fool all along, seeing s

er voice eerily calm. "I do n

Chloe' s victorious smirk and Ethan' s stunned, angry silence. She didn' t care. She just k