Chapter Twenty–Six
Kyle’s POV
I found myself with Alex in a dimly lit private lounge at a high–end clubhouse, where the air reeked of whiskey and expensive cigars. The low hum of conversation, the clinking of glasses, and occasional bursts of laughter mixed with fake moans from the little–dressed women hanging on the arms of some of the men did nothing to soften the tension in my shoulders.
This place was known as the haven of the elite, where information could be bought if
you had the right currency and connections. I had come here for leads, following my father’s firm instruction to spearhead a real estate investment he had caught wind of. However, what I hadn’t anticipated on what I thought would be a wasted trip was
running into my nemesis – Aiden Sinclair.
He sat across from me, perfectly relaxed, his smirk wide, his fingers swirling the
amber liquid in his glass, while I was anything but relaxed. The only reason I was still seated was because of the deal Alex and I came for, the one my father suggested
was worth the trouble, and, well, unfortunately for me, Aiden was the one with the
link.
How annoying.
Aiden tilted his head, the amusement in his eyes as clear as day. “I must say, seeing
you here, Kyle, is quite surprising. Never thought I’d live to see the day the almighty
Kyle Banks would sit across from me looking for something.”
My face remained blank. “Cut the small talk. If you have something to say, say it.”
Aiden chuckled, taking a slow sip of his drink. “Always so impatient. Has anyone ever told you that you need to loosen up? You’re always so… controlled.” He gestured with
the hand holding the drink. “Always so stiff. Don’t you ever get tired of that?”
I didn’t respond, only stared at him with a calmness that I knew was beginning to irk
him. Aiden thrived on reactions, on making people uncomfortable, but I gave him
nothing, just the way he hated it.
He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “You’re no fun at all, as usual,” he said,
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leaning forward to drop the glass of wine on the table. “It must be exhausting,
keeping everything bottled up like that. Don’t you ever get tired?”
I didn’t blink. “Are you done?”
+8 Points >
I was baiting him, pushing him to challenge me more, and I knew I shouldn’t, but I just
couldn’t help myself. Aiden had a way of pulling out the childish part of me that
wanted to watch him lose his cool, the same as his. However, Aiden wouldn’t stop
until he got a reaction out of me, but I didn’t plan on giving him that satisfaction. Not
ever.
Aiden huffed a laugh. “No, not quite. You see, I enjoy these little interactions,
watching you keep it together, keep everything bottled up, just like old times. I wonder
sometimes…” He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. “What would it take to c***k that icy facade? What would it take to make you snap?”
Alex, seeming irritated by the situation, gritted his teeth beside me. “Is this going
somewhere?”
Didn’t seem like it. Aiden wasn’t going to yield until he had his fun, and I wasn’t about
to give him the satisfaction.
Before I could respond, Aiden let out a slow laugh, shaking his head. “I didn’t get to
see that, which led me to wonder what it would be like to have you at my mercy.
Imagine that, the great Kyle Banks needing something from me. And now, here we
are.”
My fingers tapped gently against the rim of the wine cup in front of me before they
went still again. “You think too highly of yourself, Aiden.”
Aiden’s smirk didn’t falter as expected. “Maybe. But right now, you want something,
and that gives me the upper hand.”
I exhaled slowly, already getting bored of his childish tactics. I couldn’t believe he
hadn’t changed one bit. “What information do you have, Aiden? Because I don’t have
time for your games.”
“Oh, Kyle.” He chuckled again. “We haven’t gotten to the fun part. Watching you try to stay unaffected, pretending like nothing gets to you, it’s amusing.”
My grip on my glass tightened slightly, but my face remained indifferent. “If you had
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+0 Points
real power over me like you think, you wouldn’t be sitting here trying so hard to get
under my skin.”
Aiden’s smirk wavered for a fraction of a second before he recovered. He took a sip of
his drink, eyes turning into something darker. “Oh, Kyle,” He chuckled again, swirling
the drink in his glass. “Real power isn’t about making you flinch, it’s about knowing
you will, eventually. You can sit there, pretend you’re unbothered, pretend to be cold
and uncrackable, but we both know that is just on the surface.”
Silence.
“Speaking about cracking your ice,” he continued, now seeming more excited, “have
you ever thought about how some people vanish, yet they never really leave? You
know how their shadows linger where you least expect them? Have you ever
wondered?”
My body went rigid, and the air around us shifted, suddenly heavier. Alex sat
confused just as I did, his gaze flickering between Aiden and me.
Aiden leaned back again, looking almost satisfied with himself. For the first time, he had my full attention, and he knew it. “Interesting, isn’t it? How some people refuse to stay buried in the past. How they creep back in when you least expect it.”
My brows deepened. He is onto something, and I couldn’t help my heart’s pace quickening at the thought that he has something on me, even though I couldn’t
understand sh*t of what he said.
Tightening my emotions into place, I met Aiden’s gaze head–on, my expression unreadable. “Is there a point to this, or are you just wasting my time?”
Aiden let out a low chuckle, setting his glass down with deliberate slowness. “Just proving a point. But then there is a saying: what’s that again? Oh yeah, some ghosts don’t stay dead. Some wounds don’t heal the way we expect them to. And some people… well, let’s just say they don’t disappear as easily as you think.”
I remained silent, but my mind raced. He was speaking in jargon and riddles, but I could tell he knew something and was enjoying toying with me.
He studied me for a long moment before letting out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, as much as I’d love to continue this little chat, I have other people to entertain. You
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understand.”
18 Points >
He stood up, straightening his jacket with a smirk. “It was fun bonding with you again, Kyle. Really. We should do this again sometime.”
My fingers twitched, itching to wipe that smug grin off his face, but I didn’t move. I only allowed my eyes to follow Aiden’s movements, my instincts screaming that there was more to his words than mere taunts and tricks. Aiden turned to leave, but before
stepping away, he glanced back over his shoulder.
“Oh, and Kyle? Keep an eye out. You never know when the past might come knocking.
”
That was it. I’m a hundred percent sure he knows something.
With that, he walked away, leaving me sitting there, my mind turning over every word and possible meaning. My grip on the glass remained firm, and the calm on my face
was long replaced by confusion.
Alex exhaled sharply. “That bastard knows something.”
I didn’t respond right away because the situation was clear. Aiden knew something
important that could provoke me, and he was dangling it in front of me like bait,
waiting for me to snap. And I almost did. I was on the verge of following him when
Alex suddenly grabbed my arm.
“Don’t. That’s exactly what he wants,” he warned.
I clenched my jaw, the frustration simmering under my skin. Aiden knew something.
And I was going to find out what. Whatever it was.
Hours later, I still couldn’t decipher whatever Aiden had meant earlier. It was like a
riddle I couldn’t read into. His words followed me like a curse, whispering in the back
of my mind, taunting me even in the silence of my mind.
Have you ever thought about how some people vanish, yet they never really leave?
You never know when the past might come knocking.
I clenched my jaw, gripping the edge of the hotel balcony as I stared out at the darkened sky. The city pulsed beneath me, alive with neon lights and the hum of traffic, but I felt none of it. I was distracted; my thoughts focused on understanding
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what Aiden had meant earlier.
Was it possible? Could Aiden know something about my past? Or what exactly was
he insinuating? What did he mean by people disappearing and then reappearing?
Was he referring to…..Ava? Could he know something about her?
My heart raced against my chest, and beads of sweat formed instantly, creating a
sharp contrast to the cool night air that brushed against my face. Ava. Just the
thought of her name alone ignited a rush of emotions I had spent months trying to
suppress: guilt, regret and a longing so deep it left me breathless.
“You need to focus. We came here for a reason, and it wasn’t to chase ghosts.”
“You don’t even know what he is talking about. He might have just conjured anything up
just to rile you up.”
I exhaled slowly, making an effort to relax my hands as Alex’s words sank in. He was
right; Aiden couldn’t possibly know about Ava. There was no way he was referring to
her. We had a mission that required my focus, and it had nothing to do with whatever
tricks Aiden was playing on me. However, logic didn’t have a hold on me when my
heart was running wild with possibilities. My thoughts kept drifting back to Aiden’s
smirk, his taunting words, and the way he relished in my reaction before circling back
to thoughts of Ava.
No, it couldn’t be about Ava. But that was Aiden; he doesn’t do things without a
reason, and I knew he didn’t just make such comments to provoke me for no reason.
He only acted that way when he was certain of something that would bring out a strong reaction from me. The only part of my past that could invoke such a response
was Ava. Did he know where she was?
My heartbeat skyrocketed, and my grip tightened on the edge of the hotel balcony again as my gaze stared ahead into nothing.
The oddluna
An author’s greatest fear is seeing readers lose interest in their book, and I want to assure you that I am mindful of that. I understand that the story may seem to be dragging, but I promise it’s not as it appears. Those who accompanied me while I wrote my first book can attest that my focus isn’t on bonuses; I take my time because I believe in delivering perfection. Even, I want you to be aware of Ava and Kyle’s journey before they eventually reunite, which will happen very soon. I don’t want to rush through important details/like their growth and struggles. I promise that the highlights will be revealed shortly, and I assure you that you will enjoy them more than ever. Please stay with me on this journey.
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