Chapter 415
Chapter 415:
“Do it,” Beatrice said at last. “But no mistakes this time. And leave my name out of it p>
“I know a group,” Sienna said, a cruel smile twisting her lips beneath the mask. “The Cleaners. A private contractor team currently operating in that sector for an oil survey. They do wet work on the side. I’ll divert them p>
On the Poseidon, Skye was setting the stage.
She sat at the small dining table in her suite. Lucian had agreed to dinner in her room—a compromise for her “good behavior p>
Drake entered with the wine. He glared at Skye.
As he poured the red wine, Skye moved her arms suddenly, “accidentally” bumping his elbow.
The wine splashed onto the white tablecloth and onto Skye’s dress.
“You clumsy idiot!” Skye shrieked, jumping up. “Look what you did p>
“You hit me!” Drake protested, his face flushing red.
“Lucian!” Skye turned to Graves, eyes wide and teary. “He did it on purpose! He hates me! I don’t feel safe with him here p>
Lucian looked at the stain on Skye’s dress. He looked at Drake’s sweaty, angry face.
“Get out,” Lucian said quietly.
“But sir p>
“Get out.” Lucian’s voice dropped an octave. “You’re relieved of duty. Confine yourself to your quarters until we dock. I don’t want to see your face p>
Drake dropped the bottle. He looked at Skye with pure hatred, then turned and fled.
Skye dabbed at her dress with a napkin, hiding her satisfaction.
The manager was gone. The guard outside was just muscle. Lucian was the only brain left in the room.
“I’m sorry,” Lucian said, pouring a new glass himself. “He was incompetent anyway p>
“Thank you,” Skye said softly. She sat back down. “About that phone p>
Lucian reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sleek black smartphone.
“One post,” he reminded her. “Instagram. No DMs. No calls p>
He unlocked it and slid it across the table.
Skye picked it up. Her fingers tingled.
𝘛hi𝗌 cо𝘯𝘵𝗲𝘯𝗍 𝘪𝘴 𝗮𝗎𝘵𝗵𝗲𝗻t𝘪𝖼 f𝗿о𝗺 𝖻𝗲.𝘤𝗼𝗺
This was it. The lifeline.
She opened the app. She logged in. Her notifications were in the millions. She ignored them.
“Take a picture of the wine,” she said. “It looks… relaxing p>
She framed the shot carefully. She didn’t just photograph the wine. She angled the camera so the reflection in the dark glass of the window behind it captured the faint digital glow of a repeater screen on the wall behind her—displaying heading and speed—and, crucially, the specific constellation visible through the gap in the clouds.
She snapped the photo.
She started typing the caption.
Taking some time for me. The ocean heals all wounds.
#SelfCare #DigitalDetox
Lucian watched over her shoulder, reading every word.
“Boring,” he said. “But acceptable p>
Skye’s thumb hovered over the emoji keyboard.
She added three emojis.
“Cute,” Lucian sneered. “Send it p>
Skye pressed Post.
As the blue bar zipped across the top of the screen, Skye held her breath.