Free Web NovelChapter 39: Zero by Morning II
"Zhao," Mark said.
On the other end, there was only the low hum of machines and the soft sound of someone typing on a keyboard.
"I need a full extraction," Mark continued, pacing the length of his mahogany desk. "The Aurora accounts. Personal and corporate, and the offshore holdings in the Caymans. I want every cent rerouted through the shell accounts we discussed last month."
A low voice vibrated through the speaker.
"The Aurora security is being upgraded, it’s now biometric-heavy, Vaughn. It’ll leave a trail if we move too fast."
"Then make it look like a system failure. A glitch. I don’t care if the trail leads to a dead end in Russia or a server in the basement of a North Korean embassy. Just make sure that by 6:00 AM tomorrow morning, Lyvana Montclair is worth exactly zero."
"It will be done. But it’ll cost you."
"Just see that it gets done and I will pay you whatever."
He ended the call and turned back to Martin, who looked genuinely unsettled.
Mark’s smile looked wicked.
"She’ll come to me. Because I’ll be the only one who can ’fix’ this problem."
While Mark was busy planning her ruin, Lyvana who had no idea what was coming had just arrived in town.
But instead of going home, her car stopped at a small but beautiful estate, and she stepped out. Lyvana looked up at the quiet, private house. Julian had insisted that she stays here for the night, while he deals with an emergency — something about the man who had tried to kidnap her.
A woman was standing near the stairs.
"Welcome," she said with a polite smile. "I am Lily, Mr. Blackwood’s assistant."
"Thank you," Lyvana replied politely. "It is nice to meet you."
"This way please," Lily added, gesturing for her to follow her inside.
Lyvana noticed bodyguards standing around the house, watching everything.
When they walked inside, a young woman who introduced herself as Clara came out to meet her. Lily explained that Clara was Julian’s housekeeper.
Lily then took her upstairs and left her alone in the massive bedroom. Lyvana walked into the bathroom, which was made of white marble and had a nice smell. She saw new female toiletries.
When she finished taking a shower, she realized she had no change of clothes. She stepped into the walk-in closet, expecting to find something of Julian’s she could wear.
The closet was huge. On one side, Julian’s dark suits and shirts hung in perfect rows. But on the other side, her breath caught. A collection of brand-new clothes hung there, clearly chosen for her. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
A wave of nervousness hit her despite the nice gesture.
This was supposed to be a temporary deal right. She was only here because she was waiting for news about the kidnapper who had been arrested. But these clothes didn’t look like a one-night setup. They looked like he expected her to stay forever.
She touched the sleeve of a silk robe, her heart feeling heavy. It was all too much, too fast. She felt like a bird in a very expensive golden cage.
But she couldn’t change how she felt. Despite the fear and the confusion, she knew she had fallen hard for Julian. Whether her mind liked it or not, her heart already belonged to him.
She brushed her fears aside and chose a simple, comfortable dress from the closet. She didn’t want anything too flashy. As she adjusted the fabric, a soft knock sounded at the door.
Clara stood in the doorway with a kind, yet formal expression.
"Miss Lyvana," she said softly. "I wanted to check up on you. Would you like to have dinner now, or would you prefer to wait for Mr. Blackwood to return?"
Lyvana was hungry and it was getting late so she decided to dine alone. The meal was quiet, and though the food was delicious, her mind kept wandering back to Julian. Perhaps this temporary boyfriend deal could be revised. She was obviously missing him.
When she returned to the bedroom, she went to the walk-in closet to find something to sleep in, but as she moved past the soft silk robes, something caught her eye.
Tucked away at the far end were pieces of lingerie. She picked one up. It was a wild deep black lace with daring cut-outs, and delicate silk straps. It was bold, provocative, and completely unlike anything Lyvana would wear.
She held it in her hands, feeling the delicate fabric. She felt her face turn red. This was the kind of thing a woman wore to seduce a man. freewebnøvel.coɱ
What if I just tried it on? she thought.
No one was around to see her. She felt a spark of mischief. If she could wear that tiny bikini at the beach, she could surely try this on.
She stepped out of her dress and pulled the lace over her skin. When she looked in the mirror, she gasped.
The fabric hugged her curves perfectly. The silk straps rested on her shoulders, and the cut-outs... oh boy. They showed a lot more than she expected to show. She looked seductive. There was no denying it.
She turned slowly, watching how the lace curved over her hips and framed her cute little butt. The woman in the mirror didn’t look innocent at all. A small smile touched her lips. She looked like a woman who knew exactly how to drive a man crazy.
"Okay, I should probably take this off now," she told herself.
"Why?" Julian’s voice came from the doorway.
Lyvana nearly jumped out of her skin.
She spun around, her heart thumping against her ribs.
Julian was leaning against the doorframe. He looked tired, but his dark eyes were fixed on her with an intensity that made her skin prickle.
"Don’t take it off," he said slowly.
"Julian, I... I... When did you get back," she stammered.
Julian didn’t move. He just let his gaze travel slowly all over her body.
