Chapter 35
Chapter 35:
“Where did you get this?” he asked, voice low.
Skye leaned down, placing her hands on the armrests of his chair, trapping him. She was close enough to smell the expensive scotch on his breath, close enough to see the dilation of his pupils.
“I told you. Liam is careless,” she lied smoothly. She couldn’t tell him she was The Oracle, that she had tracked these digital footprints herself while monitoring the Asian markets. She needed to maintain the illusion of the underestimated wife. “He threw away the initial inquiry reports. I fished them out. I scrubbed the physical copies before his secretary could file them, but the digital trail is still out there. You need to update your firewalls, Ethan. Next time, I won’t be there to clean up your mess p>
Ethan swallowed. “Why? Why help me? You hate me p>
“I don’t hate you. I just found you annoying,” Skye whispered. “But you helped me at the hospital. And frankly, I need an ally who isn’t afraid of Liam Kensington. Consider this a gesture of good faith. I saved your company. Now we have a truce p>
Ethan stared at her for a long, agonizing moment. The tension in the room was brittle, ready to snap. Then, slowly, it leaked out of his shoulders. He let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“You’re terrifying,” he said, shaking his head. “Liam has no idea, does he? He thinks you’re just a pretty face who reads too much p>
“Liam thinks the world revolves around his ego,” Skye said, straightening. She picked up her phone. “Do we have a deal? No more provoking Liam and using me as bait. We work together when necessary p>
Ethan raised his glass in a mock toast. “Deal. You’re not the prey I thought you were, Skye Sterling p>
“I never was,” she replied.
She turned to leave. A surge of triumph ran through her, a rush of adrenaline better than any drug. She had neutralized a threat and gained leverage over a powerful ally.
She reached for the door handle.
On𝗅у c𝘰𝘮р𝗹𝖾𝗍ed n𝘰𝘃е𝗅𝘀 𝗈𝘯 𝖻𝘦.𝘤𝘰m
“Skye,” Ethan called.
She paused.
“Check your lipstick,” he said, his voice amused again. “You’re about to need it p>
Skye frowned. She opened the door.
The flash blinded her.
It wasn’t one camera; it was a wall of white light. A dozen paparazzi were camped outside the VIP corridor. Tiffany must have sent the signal the moment she saw Skye enter. They surged forward like a pack of starving dogs.
“Mrs. Kensington! Mrs. Kensington p>
“Is the marriage over p>
“Who is inside? Is it Ethan Vance p>
“Look here! Look here p>
Skye shielded her eyes, her heart hammering against her ribs. She knew Tiffany was behind this, but the efficiency was pure Seraphina.
She felt a hand on her elbow. Ethan had come up behind her. He tried to shield her face with his jacket, but the damage was done. The cameras clicked furiously, capturing the frame: Skye Sterling, looking disheveled and flushed, leaving a private room with the city’s most notorious playboy at 1:00 a.m.