Chapter 586
Chapter 586:
“Boss,” Felix said, clearing his throat. “Delivery. You said nine a.m. sharp p>
Alistair sat up, the sheet falling to his waist. “Right. Bring it here p>
Skye sat up too, clutching the sheet to her chest. “What is that p>
Felix placed the basket on the foot of the bed and retreated quickly, as if afraid it might explode.
Alistair reached over and flipped the lid.
A golden ball of fluff erupted from the basket.
It was a Golden Retriever puppy, no more than eight weeks old, with oversized paws and eyes that were impossibly dark and round. It let out a high-pitched yip and immediately scrambled over the duvet, tripping over its own ears before face-planting into Skye’s lap.
Skye froze. Her breath hitched. “Alistair p>
“You said you wanted a sanctuary,” Alistair said, a boyish grin breaking through his usual stoicism. “Sanctuaries need dogs. Her name is Goldie. Unless you hate it, in which case we can call her ‘Killer’ or ‘Destroyer of Worlds p>
Skye picked up the puppy. It smelled like milk and cedar shavings. The puppy licked her chin with a rough, warm tongue. The knot of anxiety that had lived in Skye’s stomach for five years—since the moment she first died—suddenly loosened.
“Goldie,” Skye whispered, burying her face in the soft fur. “She’s perfect p>
For an hour, the world was small. It consisted of the bedroom, the sunlight, and the clumsy, joyful energy of the puppy. Alistair lay on the rug, letting Goldie chew on his fingers while Skye laughed—a genuine, unburdened sound that she hadn’t heard from herself in two lifetimes.
Then, the vibration started.
It wasn’t the puppy. It was the phone on the nightstand.
It wasn’t a ringtone. It was a low, persistent buzz—the specific frequency reserved for the encrypted line.
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. Alistair stopped playing. He sat up, his movements suddenly sharp, predatory. He looked at the phone like it was a bomb.
He picked it up. “Report p>
𝘕𝗮𝘷𝘪𝗴𝖺𝘁𝘦 𝖾asi𝗅𝘆 𝘰𝗇 b𝗲.𝖼𝗈𝗆
Skye held Goldie against her chest, her fingers stilling in the soft fur. She watched Alistair’s face. She saw the moment the peace died. His jaw clenched, a muscle feathering near his ear.
His eyes went cold, the calm sea turning to ice.
“How?” Alistair asked. His voice was a low growl. “When p>
He listened for another ten seconds, then hung up.
He didn’t look at Skye immediately. He walked to the window, staring out at the manicured grounds, his back a wall of tension.
“Alistair p>
Skye put the puppy down. Goldie whined, sensing the shift, and hid under the bed.
“Overseas,” Alistair said, not turning around. “The supply chain. Someone froze the accounts. Three of our major shipping hubs in the Pacific have been seized by local authorities p>
“Seized?” Skye stood up, her mind already racing, the Oracle taking over. “On what grounds p>
“Tax evasion. Money laundering. Trafficking.” Alistair turned. His face was a mask of fury. “Fabricated charges. But the digital trail is perfect. Someone on the inside fed them the data. Someone with root access p>