Chapter 7
Looking for answers
Fionas pov
I stared at him, my mind spinning from what had just transpired. My senses returned to me, embarrassment crashing over me like a wave. My face flushed hot, and before I could contain myself, I shoved him away. My hands were on his hard chest, and I pulled them away quickly, my skin humming from the quick touch.
“I’m here to talk about something serious,” I stammered and looked away. “Can you put on a shirt? I’ll go outside and come
back later.
Killian smirked, dark eyes flickering with amusement. “If you insist.”
With that, he whirled around and vanished into his closet. As soon as he was out of sight, I turned on my heels and bolted outside, slamming the door behind me more forcefully than it needed. Once I was alone, I let out a sharp breath and patted my cheeks lightly.
“What are you doing? What are you thinking about?” I muttered under my breath.
However as much I had tried to compose myself, I could not shake the sight of his body from my mind. The chiseled muscles. It was ridiculous. I was here for something that mattered, that had the potential to change the course of my life, but my mind was messing with me.
I needed to focus.
Shortly thereafter, his voice came out, “You can come in now.”
I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath and re–entered the room. He was seated in a chair now, fully garbed in a tight black shirt. He radiated quiet authority, as if he knew everything I was about to say.
I walked over to the couch and sat down, making sure to put as much space between us as possible. He watched me, waiting.
“Any thought about what happened in court today?“I asked, my voice even but with authority.
Killian’s expression was inscrutable. “What do you mean?”
Frustration simmered in me, a stark contrast to the anxiety from moments before. I balled my fists in my lap, willing myself not to flare up. “Why are you asking me that? You know what I am talking about.”
His gaze didn’t waver. “Explain it to me.”
I took a deep breath, collecting my thoughts. “Edward’s death. How did it happen? There’s something sneaky about it. And Desmond has to be the one responsible. But how sure are we? What if we’re wrong?”
Silence stretched between us. The longer he took to reply, the more frustrated I got.
“This is getting stranger and weirder by the second,” I went on, not able to stop myself from digging myself deeper. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to clear my name. It’s as if the harder I try, the more I get sucked into this mess.” My voice trembled a little bit, but I didn’t stop. “Everything is different. It all changed so quickly. My life, my freedom — it’s all on the line. And now, Edward is dead. It just doesn’t make sense.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “What am I supposed to do?”
Killian leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees. His eyes were keen, deliberate. “You don’t trust me?”
1/3
Chapter 7
The question stopped me cold.
I gaped at him, momentarily floored. His voice was steady, though there was something just under the surface, something inscrutable in his expression. My pulse quickened.
We gazed at one another, that space between shifting into something thicker. I felt seen, like he could see through my anger, my fear. Like he could see how much I was dependent on him.
I swallowed hard, looked away and coughed to diffuse the moment. “Why wouldn’t I trust you?” I tried to laugh a little, but it fell empty even to me. “If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have come here, would I?”
His eyes dimmed a little, but he leaned back, looking content. “So, you do trust me.”
I exhaled slowly, nodding. “Yes, I trust you.”
Hearing the words come out of my mouth smoothed something inside me, as though I’d finally admitted what I’d known all along. No matter how out of control everything had gotten, I knew one thing for certain–Killian was the one person who could guide me through this storm. He had the power of influence and even a way of thinking that always seemed to go steps ahead of everyone else.
If anyone could sort this mess out, it was him.
When I looked at him, I thought I caught a flicker in his eyes: A quick, inscrutable shift that sent a chill through me. But when I looked again, his eyes were placid, as always, composed. Had I imagined it?
I pushed the thought away. This was the time for a much needed focus.
“What do we do next?” With my voice lower now, I asked.
Killian’s face changed into a mask of determination. “We learn what led to Edward’s death.”
Killian didn’t hesitate as he picked up his phone, the speed with which he punched in a number. Everything about him shifted and was replaced by a man in total charge.
“I want everything,” he said as soon as the call connected. He spoke in a low, firm, commanding voice. “Every single detail of Edward’s final hours. Every shred of whatever happened, any images of him at all that night before he was discovered dead in the morning. I don’t care how hard it is–I want all of it laid out in front of me.”
I heard his assistant reply, but then his brows creased a bit.
“No street cameras?” he repeated, as much to himself as to whoever was on the other line. His jaw clenched, darkening his gaze. “Then if there are no cameras outside, we start with that.”
“We should be checking the buildings around there, security footage of nearby businesses, anything that could help us make a lead. Start immediately and report back when you have discovered anything.”
He ended the call with a slick flick of his wrist, laying the phone on the table next to him. For a moment, the room went quiet.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. It was just the way he carried himself, the authority with which he spoke, the fact that people would fall silent rather than interrupt him. It was not just power it was something deeper, something that came from deep within him.
I had observed men demanding attention before. My ex–husband Desmond had been confident, even arrogant at times. But this—this was different. Killian didn’t need to yell for dominance. It was in the when he was around, in the way he calmly spoke, in how people scurried to follow his orders without hesitation.
2/3
3:02 pm DDD
Chapter 7
From the beginning, Desmond had needed to show he was the one in control. Killian simply was different.
I was so far gone in my thoughts that I barely noticed when he shifted his focus on me.
“And you think this is easy?” My voice cut through the silence when I blurted that out.
Killian’s head cocked slightly. “What do you mean by that?”
I stood up from the couch, walking toward the window. The glass felt cool beneath my fingertips as I stared outside, but my mind was far away.
“Why does everything seem so weird?” I whispered. “From the moment I was accused, to the way the court proceedings went, to “I paused, my reflection staring back at me. “I felt like I was forced into this marriage.”
I turned to look at him then, hoping to find something in his face. “Doesn’t it feel… off?”
I was anticipating he would dismiss my worries, perhaps even accuse me of over thinking. But instead he rose, his movements slow, measured.”
And then he asked the question that took my breath away.
“What’s weird about marrying me?”
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