The Temporary Boyfriend

Chapter 189: Where is Zara

Victoria exhaled quietly.

"Because right now, your father is trying to save the company," she explained. "If those videos get out, we’re done for. So for now, we cooperate. You plead guilty. You disappear quietly for a few months. We are all safe from a scandal."

Catalina looked away bitterly. "And Lyvana just wins?"

Victoria smiled faintly. "

No." Her voice turned icy. "This is only temporary."

She reached over and squeezed Catalina’s hand gently.

"When you come back, I will still be waiting for you. And so will the company."

"The Master," she muttered darkly. "I swear I’ll gut him into pieces for letting this happen to me."

Victoria’s expression changed instantly.

"Lower your voice," she warned sharply, her eyes flicking toward the driver before returning to Catalina. "And don’t be stupid."

Catalina frowned angrily. "He betrayed us."

"Maybe," Victoria admitted coldly. "But there is very little we can do about it."

Catalina folded her arms tightly across her chest. "Then we threaten him."

A humorless laugh escaped Victoria.

"Threaten him?" she repeated quietly. "Catalina, do you even understand the kind of people involved in that organization?"

Catalina stayed silent.

Victoria leaned closer, lowering her voice even further. "There are politicians, billionaires, celebrities, judges... people powerful enough to erase entire families without leaving a single trace behind."

A chill crept slowly into Catalina’s stomach.

"If we turn against them," Victoria continued, "they won’t argue with us. They won’t negotiate. They will simply destroy us."

Her expression darkened.

"And have you forgotten the videos? If they recorded everything, and we suddenly become a threat, those videos will appear on the internet overnight."

"So we do nothing?"

"For now, yes. We stay obedient," she said quietly. "We cooperate, and we keep our heads down. And if the Master requests a visit... we welcome him politely."

"What?" Catalina looked at her like she had gone insane. "You still expect me to sleep with him after this? Are you out of your mind?"

Victoria’s face remained cold.

"Remember the agreement you signed," she said calmly. "That organization owns its members until death."

Catalina looked away bitterly.

"Don’t act innocent now," Victoria continued quietly. "You enjoyed the lifestyle well enough."

"I did," Catalina snapped. "Right until they started recording everything and somehow those files ended up with Lyvana."

Victoria’s eyes narrowed slightly. ƒreewebɳovel.com

"We still don’t know how she got them."

Catalina let out a frustrated sound and leaned back against the seat.

"You don’t think..." She hesitated. "You don’t think someone inside the organization is feeding her information?"

Victoria’s face tightened instantly.

"Careful," she warned. "Even suggesting something like that is dangerous."

"But what if it’s true?" Catalina pressed. "How else would she know so much?"

Victoria stared out the tinted window quietly. "I will find out. My way."

....

Adrian had just ended the phone call when Chika entered the study carrying a fresh cup of coffee.

"Your coffee, sir," she said softly, placing the tray carefully on the desk.

Adrian barely looked at her. His mind was elsewhere.

"Chika," he said suddenly, "do you know anything about this retreat Zara supposedly went to?"

Chika blinked in surprise.

"A retreat, sir?"

Adrian leaned back slowly in his chair, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"She just called me," he said quietly. "Said she needed time alone to clear her head."

He gave a short humorless laugh.

"Since when does Zara believe in spiritual retreats?"

Chika lowered her eyes carefully, hiding the flicker of tension that crossed her face.

"I’m afraid I don’t know anything about it, sir," she replied cautiously. "Madam did not inform me."

Adrian studied her silently for a few long seconds.

Something about all of this felt wrong.

Ever since that morning Carter arrived, Zara had not returned. Could she have heard them.

He picked up the coffee cup but didn’t drink from it.

"What exactly did she say before leaving the house that morning?" he asked calmly.

"She only said she had somewhere important to go, sir."

"Only that?"

Chika nodded carefully. "Yes, sir."

Adrian slowly placed the untouched coffee back onto the table.

A cold feeling crept into his stomach.

After what happened outside the study yesterday, he no longer believed in coincidences.

His jaw tightened.

"Call the driver," he ordered suddenly. "I will be going back to my estate."

Chika’s fingers tightened slightly around the serving tray.

"Yes, sir."

As she turned to leave, Adrian’s voice stopped her again.

"And Chika?"

She froze near the door.

"If Zara contacts you directly about anything..." his tone was soft, "you tell me immediately."

Chika nodded politely.

"Of course, sir."

But the moment she stepped out of the study, worry flooded her face.

Where did her mistress disappear to?

....

At the same time, far away in the tropics, something entirely unrelated was already unfolding.

Inside Arthur Reed’s private residence, the young waitress moved nervously through the massive bedroom. She had already been paid and had already agreed to the arrangement. Now, standing completely bare in the quiet room, she took a deep breath and prepared to climb into his bed.

She glanced around at the luxury surroundings. It was only her second visit, but the money Arthur offered was intoxicating, and hard to refuse.

And that, more than anything, was the reason why she had come.

She got into bed and Arthur got in-between her legs and immediately pinned her hands down with his.

The sudden grip made her freeze, her breath catching in her throat. His hands were heavy and unyielding, locking her wrists flat against the mattress.

​Arthur looked down at her, his face showing no warmth or affection. To him, this was just a transaction, a display of power that he had bought and paid for. He liked knowing that his wealth could buy this kind of absolute control.

​She forced herself to look back at him, swallowing her nervousness. She reminded herself of the money already sitting in her bank account. The money that would change her life, pay off her debts, and make all of this worth it.

Without warning, he plunged into her. She screamed out loudly, but he ignored her, and began pumping painfully in and out of her.