Chapter 326
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Chapter 326:
“Alright, alright,” Luke said. “I actually came to New York because my firm is tracking the Collins Group’s aggressive expansion in Europe. Which, ironically, reminded me of a very strange story from last year p>
At the mention of the Collins name, Kieran’s head snapped up. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Luke with a ferocious, unsettling intensity.
Luke didn’t notice the danger. He leaned back and lit a cigar.
“Remember a year ago?” Luke asked. “When Jocelyn finally got tired of your cold-shoulder routine and tried to buy a ticket to Paris to get away from you p>
Kieran’s stomach tightened. He remembered the cold panic that had seized him — a surge of violent, possessive fury at the thought of her attempting to escape. He had frantically tried to book a flight back to New York to pull her back.
“Every first-class and business-class seat on every airline was completely sold out,” Kieran muttered. “I thought it was a massive system glitch. I was stuck in London for two extra days p>
Luke blew a thick cloud of smoke toward the ceiling.
“It wasn’t a glitch, mate,” Luke said, lowering his voice. He leaned across the table. “I was at a private dinner party in Mayfair last month. One of the senior executives at British Airways got drunk and started talking p>
𝗠о𝘴𝘵 𝗿𝘦а𝘥 𝗍𝗁𝘪𝗌 𝘸е𝖾𝗸 𝗼𝗇
He paused for effect.
“He said some anonymous offshore shell company dropped millions of pounds in cash. They bought out every single premium seat on every flight from London to New York for an entire week. Just to keep one specific passenger grounded p>
Kieran’s breath stopped. The air in his lungs turned to ice.
His hands began to shake.
“Who?” Kieran choked out. “Who was the beneficial owner of the shell company p>
Luke looked at him with a mixture of pity and awe.
“Gaston Collins,” Luke said simply.
A deafening roar filled Kieran’s ears. The walls of the cigar bar seemed to press inward.
The puzzle pieces slammed together all at once.
He had always believed that Gaston’s marriage to Jocelyn was a sudden, opportunistic arrangement — a freak accident of timing. But this had happened a year ago. Gaston Collins hadn’t stumbled into Jocelyn’s life. He had been watching her. He had been actively, methodically manipulating the world around her, isolating her, keeping Kieran at bay.
Gaston was not a playboy who had decided to settle down on a whim. He was a terrifying, infinitely patient predator who had been hunting Jocelyn from the shadows for God only knew how long.
A wave of absolute, paralyzing terror rolled over Kieran.
He realized he had never stood a chance. He had walked blindly into a trap laid by a billionaire psychopath.
Kieran pulled out his phone, fingers trembling so badly he could barely unlock the screen. He pulled up Jocelyn’s contact. He needed to warn her. He needed to tell her she was sleeping next to a monster.
But his thumb hovered over the call button and stopped.
A bitter, acidic taste filled his mouth. Jocelyn hated him. She would not believe a single word he said. She would assume it was another desperate lie designed to destroy her marriage.