Chapter 2Choosing a Deceased Fate

Through the rising steam, Lily Reid was draped over the edge of the pool, her body languid, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural, feverish pink. "Ian… I feel so dizzy…"

Before the words were even out of her mouth, she went limp, sliding bonelessly beneath the water's surface.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ian dove in and swept her into his arms. Water streamed down his sharp jawline, dripping onto her bare shoulder.

"Ian," I said, my voice cutting through the humid air. "I told you. You are not welcome here."

He froze, and in his arms, Lily's eyelashes fluttered.

"Sierra!" Panic flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by anger. "Do you have to be so aggressive? She almost fainted! Can't you have a shred of decency?"

Suddenly, Lily struggled out of his embrace and fell to her knees before me with a splash, her forehead hitting the stone floor with a sickening thud. "Miss Stark, I'm sorry! It's all my fault!" Blood trickled down her pale cheek.

She lunged forward, grabbing my legs, but in the next second, she recoiled as if shoved, tumbling back into the pool. She thrashed wildly in the water. "Help! My leg is cramping…!"

Ian dove in again, scooping her up. When he emerged, his eyes were filled with disgust.

"You've gone too far, Sierra!"

He lunged forward and shoved me hard. I fell backward into the pool, my arm slamming against the stone wall with a sharp crack of pain, a deep bruise already forming.

"If you ever bully Lily like this again," he said, cradling the shivering girl in his arms, his voice like ice, "I will not marry you."

As I watched them leave, I dragged myself out of the water, bruised and humiliated. "Everyone who let them in today is fired! Get them off my property!"

I was changing when my assistant rushed in. "Miss Stark! We found a lead on Kai Donovan!"

I drove through the night to Redstone Canyon, the storm-ravaged mountain roads a treacherous river of mud. I had just checked into a small motel in the nearest town when a large hand grabbed me from behind, pulling me into a dark alley. A warm palm clamped firmly over my mouth.

I looked up in terror and met a pair of eyes that shone like stars in the darkness.

"Kai?!"

He snatched his hand away, his face flushing crimson beneath his mask. "Miss Stark, what are you doing in a place like this…?"

"You're not dead?" My voice was a shaky whisper.

He scratched his head awkwardly, revealing a charmingly crooked canine tooth. "There was a traitor in my division on this project. The mudslide was the perfect cover to fake my death and smoke him out."

"You know how to do things like that?" I asked, surprised.

His bright smile dimmed. "Is that a disappointment? Did you… did you always think I was just some idiot?"

A sharp pain lanced through my chest.

I grabbed his hand, my grip desperate. "Listen to me! You have to be back before the 8th, for the wedding!"

His body went rigid, the light in his eyes extinguished. "Right. Your wedding. I'll be there."

"You idiot," I stomped my foot in frustration. "It's our—"

"Boss! The traitor is making a run for it!" a voice shouted from down the alley.

Kai took a frantic step back. "Miss Stark, it could be dangerous here. Please, go back! I promise I'll be at the wedding!"

And just like that, he was gone, his figure vanishing into the darkness.

I stood there, a thousand thoughts swirling in my mind. In my past life, he was the one I paid the least attention to. Everyone said he was all brawn and no brains, a simpleton who was only good for nightclubs and extreme sports. Not like Ian, always impeccably dressed in a tailored suit and gold-rimmed glasses, a master of strategy. But it was always Kai who was sent to handle the most marginalized projects, the most difficult clients.

Thinking back now, those "marginalized projects" involved dealing with the most unsavory, dangerous characters. How could anyone handle that without being cunning and extraordinarily capable?

On the drive back, I had my assistant create a new digital wedding invitation and send it to Kai.

It was well past midnight when my phone finally lit up with his reply.

"Miss, you wrote the groom's name wrong. You should fix it."

The "typing…" bubble flickered for a long time before another message appeared.

"Don't worry. I'll definitely be there to see you get married."

I couldn't help but smile. He wouldn't believe anything I said now. I would just have to explain it to him in person when he returned. My phone buzzed again and again with messages from Ian.

"Lily deserves an apology from you."

"Stop being so childish."

I opened our chat and, without a second thought, deleted him.