Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
“I believe they’re temporarily down,” she answers carelessly.
“Wonderful,” I mutter, though my palms are slick.
We ditch the car and walk inside, where the air feels thick, almost heavy with memory. Nostalgia twists at me, but it’s poisoned. I remember coming here with my father, when things were still good. Before he married her.
If only he hadn’t.
At the elevator, she presses her palm to the scanner, once to open, once more to close, and again to push the floor button. My chest tightens. My palm won’t work here. I’m trapped without her.
The elevator descends fast, the walls humming as we drop. The space feels too small, the air too still, and every breath reminds me that I don’t belong here right now. Not until I retake the platform. My pulse won’t settle.
I’m almost grateful the hulking guy with the dead eyes isn’t here. If I make it back up out of this place, I’ll have to deal with him. For now, it’s Sylveria at my side, her presence pressing in until I can feel it under my skin.
“What do you need from me, anyway?” My voice scrapes the air, sharper than I intend.
“We’ve had a breach in our system,” Sylveria says. “And the diamond that powers the entire service seems … weakened.”
I blink. What in the world? “Define weakened.”
“I can’t.” She lifts a shoulder, her tone flat. “When I try to charge it, I don’t feel well.”
My stomach twists. Holy crap. It sounds like the virus I uploaded to weaken Thorn. Except I haven’t unleashed the deadly code into TimeGem’s servers. I swallow hard. “Well. That’s interesting.”
The elevator doors slide open. Light spills out, soft and almost too pretty for what I expect. The floor looks polished and the place feminine. Potted plants line the corners, their leaves glossy and perfect, like someone wipes them down every hour. The air smells faintly floral, not chemical, and that throws me off.
I can’t help but contrast this with the Malice Media hub. Yeah, totally masculine versus this feminine space. I stop just inside, taking it in. To the right, a seating area is arranged like a lounge—chairs angled, pillows in careful patterns, a coffee table gleaming without a single fingerprint. To the left, a wide glass counter stretches across the space.
Behind it sits Corinda.
I gape. “Corinda? What are you doing here?”
She preens, self-assured as always. “I can charge the diamonds.” Then, as if she’s dropping gossip instead of news, she adds, “Did you hear? Justice and I are becoming engaged.”
A bolt of heat zings through me so hard it hits my toes. I stiffen. What the hell was that? I’m not jealous. I don’t like Justice. “The poor man.” My smile feels tight. “Is he ready to spend his life on magazine covers?”
She laughs. “I don’t care whether he is or not. He’ll look good on my arm.”
I have to give her credit. She’s always known exactly who she is with her blonde hair piled high, confidence radiating as she leans back in her chair.
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t work the desk. Give me a break. We cleared the floor since you were kind enough to come assist us with our servers.”
Ah. There it is.
A double door in the mirrored glass behind Corinda opens. It’s a definite upgrade from the last time I was here, and Stacia strides out. “Hey there.”
Wow. It’s a whole family reunion. “Hey, Stacia.”
She looks at her mother and then back at me. “So she really did kidnap you, huh?”
I like her tone. “Yes.”
Stacia shakes her head. “Mother. I thought we were just going to pay her. I think this whole kidnapping situation is a little too much.”
Sylveria lowers her chin. “Stop contradicting me.”
I think I could probably take all three of them. Then I notice the guards. Two at each corner, blending into the shadows. I actually have to look to find them. Nice. Very effective. The lighting in this place is phenomenally structured.
Sylveria gestures to the elevator. “All right, ladies. I’d like to speak with your stepsister alone.”
“No.” Corinda’s voice is cool. “This involves all of us. I don’t think it’s a good idea to let her into our servers.”
Stacia chirps in, reaching for her sparkly purse by the phone. Some of the cheap glitter drops to the cement floor. “Yeah. I don’t think it’s a good idea either. If the diamond is making the two of you feel ill, the gem might truly harm her since she doesn’t have the affinity to diamonds that we do.”
I feel like Stacia might be on my side. Even so, I have to hide my panic as I fight a sneeze. “The diamond is making you ill, too?”
Corinda nods. “Yes. When I try to charge it, I feel like puking.”
“I’m not asking. Go.” Their mother dismisses them.
Stacia rolls her eyes and walks around the glass counter toward the elevator. “Blink once if you need help,” she says dryly.