CHAPTER 606. FIGHT FOR YOU. The EndgameKyle took a deep breath, watching as Vance Burgges’ face turned pale. That only confirmed that his suspicions weren’t far from the truth. “You sent her off in a damn container, didn’t you?” he hissed angrily, gripping the man’s face. “This dock only handles cargo ships, and a guy like you… you probably have enough connections to sneak one onto a ship, don’t you?” For a long moment, their eyes locked, and Vance growled with frustration. “You’ll never find her!” “Caleb! The ships!” Kyle demanded urgently, imagining the horror Adriana must be feeling, trapped alone in the darkness of a container. “I’ve got it!” Caleb said, hurrying over to his nephew. “Sixteen cargo ships left in the past twenty-four hours. But only one has such a long travel itinerary. The *Emeril*. It’s heading to Japan. It left eighteen hours ago.” Kyle pressed his lips together, bracing for bad news. He was still staring into Vance Burgges’ eyes, and there was far too muc
CHAPTER 607. FIGHT FOR YOU. You Have to Be ReadyThere wasn’t a single sound outside or any sign of movement. The chemical light sticks didn’t last long, and Adriana used them only when she had no other choice. She knew the walls of her prison were padded, but she wasn’t sure if it was to keep sound from escaping or to prevent her from hurting herself. She had explored the space using one of the small light sticks, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t tear off the padding. She was certain that someone like Vance, who had managed to outwit Kyle and his family, wouldn’t place her anywhere public where she might be rescued. Crying or screaming wouldn’t help. Eventually, exhaustion overtook her, and she collapsed into one of the corners, curling up to keep warm as the temperature dropped. The cold seeped into her bones. She had only water to drink—very little—and no food. Her only hope was that Kyle would find her quickly. Part of her brain, overwhelmed and drained, would dr
CHAPTER 608. FIGHT FOR YOU. I’ll Always Fight for YouThe commotion caught everyone’s attention within seconds. All eyes turned to a man sprinting across one of the upper decks. Shouts erupted, and Kyle rushed to one of the interior corridors, where a senior officer was banging on a door. “Louis! You need to come out! Louis!” “No… I can’t!” “Louis! What did you do?! Did you tamper with the manifest?!” the officer yelled. Kyle arrived just as he heard a shaky, nervous voice respond from the other side of the door. “It wasn’t my fault… it wasn’t… he made me!” “Then come out and help us find that container!” Kyle demanded. “No! I’m not coming out until we’re back in English waters… with… with my country’s authorities!” Kyle’s blood boiled at those words. “It’s twenty hours back to England!” he spat angrily. “And there’s a woman in a container! A kidnapped woman, without water, without food, probably freezing to death! You need to tell me where you moved that container—now!” “No
CHAPTER 609. FIGHT FOR YOU We Don’t Have Time!Kyle’s heart leapt into his throat in an instant. He had no idea what was happening outside—only that the container had been struck several times, crushed in the middle, making escape almost impossible. The violent impact with the water was unlike anything he’d ever felt. Then, the sea poured in—freezing, sharp as knives cutting into his skin. “Kyle!” he heard his name and, in the dim light filtering through the container’s mangled opening, saw Adriana’s terrified eyes. “We’re getting out, baby! We’re getting out! Climb up—come on, climb!” But the truth was, the opening was far too small for either of them to fit. Adriana shivered as icy water surged higher, rushing in around them. Several glow sticks floated up beside them. Kyle grabbed a few, cracking them all at once to provide more light. Seconds later, he heard a hoarse voice calling out. “Son! Kyle! Son!” “Dad! Dad, we’re here!” Kyle shouted back, fighting to keep panic at ba
CHAPTER 610. FIGHT FOR YOU. Don’t You Dare Die!There were no words to describe the fear, anguish, or terror Adriana felt, even as her head broke the surface of the water and she could breathe again. The exhaustion in her body vanished in an instant, replaced by adrenaline and the overwhelming drive to survive. She was screaming, though she didn’t realize it. Screaming because she wanted to dive back down for him, even as the cursed container continued sinking deeper into the ocean. Screaming because she didn’t have the strength to do so. Screaming because she could no longer see him. Screaming because she didn’t know if Aaron Orlenko had gone back down after him. The darkness was endless. The Atlantic waters were black as night, and the container was far too heavy to stop its descent. At some point—she couldn’t say when—a lifebuoy splashed down beside her, and someone dragged her to it. Adriana couldn’t tell if the wetness on her face was salt water or tears, but she didn’t know w
CHAPTER 1. More than one way to break a heart**JANUARY SEATTLE**"How could you do this?!" Zack Keller's furious roar stopped his girlfriend right at the door as soon as he saw her arrive.Giselle saw a piece of paper in his hand and had no idea what he was talking about, but she had never seen him so upset as he was at that moment."I don't know what you're talking about...""Of course you do! You aborted my child! You lost it on purpose!" he accused her angrily. "Did you at least have the damn intention of telling me anything?!"The woman in front of him turned pale."How... how do you know...?"Zack threw the paper in her direction and looked at her with disappointment."Do you forget you're on my company's health insurance?" he spat, approaching her. "As soon as your last name appeared in the payment records, they notified me. Imagine my joy when I found out the insurance had paid for a pregnancy test and then for an ultrasound!"Giselle stepped away from him, her face red with e
CHAPTER 2. Something is Very Wrong...**NOVEMBER. VANCOUVER**"Andrea! To my office! Now!"The shout from her boss, a middle manager at SportUnike, made her jump in her seat, anxious because she knew he was in a very bad mood that day."Is this a damn joke?" he growled, throwing a folder of documents at her face. "I clearly told you I needed the budget reports for the water sports division from last month!"Andrea's eyes widened."But... Mr. Trembley... I'm sure you said you wanted this month's reports...""Don't argue with me, you useless idiot!" her boss snapped. At fifty years old, Peter Trembley was as unpleasant as his bulging belly, but Andrea had to endure him because she had barely managed to get a job as his assistant, and she and her daughter depended on it to survive. "Don't you realize what's happening? SportUnike is gone! A Swiss bastard bought it, and now we'll just be a part of his company! Do you know what that means?"Andrea knew. The arrival of a new owner had create
CHAPTER 3. A Possible AllyBut if Zack thought something was wrong with the company, his instincts went on high alert when he went down to the parking lot and saw the woman leaning against one of the walls. She was trying to change from high heels to low sneakers, but her hands were shaking.He was tempted to go talk to her, but something in him still resisted getting involved in other people's problems. He had a new company to run; if he wanted Andrea to feel better, he just had to fix his company, not the woman's personal life.Finally, he saw her adjust her coat and step out into the cold street.He watched from a distance and saw she didn't take a taxi or a bus, so she probably lived nearby. He had no idea how wrong he was because Andrea didn't live remotely close; she simply couldn't afford any form of transportation.For forty minutes, the young woman walked through the cold of a Canadian winter, and by the time she finally reached her building, it was almost dark."Good evening