The sleek lines of the Koenigsegg One:1 gleamed under the streetlights, its carbon fiber body almost predatory in
the darkness.
Ethan’s eyes traveled over the hypercar, appreciation evident in his gaze before it returned to Jade’s face. “I’d be a fool to refuse,” he said, dismissing his driver with a wave. “Connor, take the Maybach back.”
Connor’s mouth opened slightly in protest before he caught himself. “Yes, sir,” he replied, his tone conveying his disappointment at missing the chance to see the rare vehicle up close.
As Ethan slid into the passenger seat, the leather embraced him like a second skin. The interior was minimalist but exquisitely crafted, every switch and button positioned for optimal efficiency rather than show.
Jade started the engine, and it roared to life—a controlled beast ready to be unleashed. She navigated away from the Thornton estate, the car’s eleration pushing them both back into their seats as they hit the open road.
“You keep looking at me,” Jade said without taking her eyes off the road. Her fingers rested lightly on the steering wheel, the car responding to her slightest touch.
Ethan blinked, caught off guard. “I apologize. That was rude of me.”
“Not rude. Just obvious.” Jade downshifted as they approached a curve, taking it with practiced ease. “Most people are more subtle about their staring.”
“I’m not most people.” Ethan rxed into his seat, watching her hands on the wheel. “This is quite the vehicle.”
“I bought it a long time ago. It’s been in Russia until recently.” Night had it shipped back a couple days ago.
Ethan’s eyebrow arched at the casual mention of Russia, but he didn’t press. He’d learned that Jade Morgan didn’t appreciate questions about her past or her connections.
The silence between them wasfortable as they drove, the city lights gradually fading behind them. Ethan observed how Jade handled the powerful machine with effortless precision, like an extension of herself.
“We could go to the shore,” Ethan suggested after a while, “It’s peaceful this time of night.”
Jade nced at him briefly, “You’re quite the life enthusiast, aren’t you, Mr. Haxton?”
“If I said I simply didn’t want to miss this opportunity to spend time with you, would Miss Morgan mind?” Ethan’s voice carried a rare hint of vulnerability beneath its confidence.
“Standing in your shoes, I’d want to spend more time with me too,” Jade replied with a smirk. “Not many people as exceptional as I am walking around.”
17:13 Wed, Sep 24 <b>B </b>
Ethanughed, a genuine sound that softened his features. “That’s not a denial.”
“Since I’m the one who invited you into my car in the first ce,” Jade said, elerating onto the highway that would take them to the coast, “I suppose I could take you to the shore. Hell, I could take you to the stars if you
asked nicely.”
The drive to the shore took less than forty minutes at Jade’s speed. She parked on a secluded overlook, the vast darkness of the Antic stretching before them like an abyss. The rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the rocks below filled the night air.
Ethan removed his custom tailored jacket and draped it over Jade’s shoulders as they stood at the guardrail. The expensive fabric carried his warmth and the subtle scent of his cologne.
“You don’t like the shore?” Ethan asked, noting her distant expression. “Or is today not a good time?”
“It’s not about liking or disliking,” Jade replied, her voice neutral. “It’s just a ce.”
58
<i>Just </i><i>a </i><i>ce </i><i>I’ve </i><i>heard </i><i>too </i><i>many </i><i>times </i><i>before</i><i>, </i>she thought, memories surfacing unbidden. The constant sound of waves had been herpanion during those years in the Shadow Organization’s Caribbean ind facility. Day after day, strapped to a table while they tested her limits, the endless rhythm of the ocean had been her only marker of time passing. Training on that ind for years had made the sound of waves as mundane as breathing–and sometimes just as painful to endure.
The wind picked up, sending her hair dancing across her face. Ethan reached out, hesitated, then gently tucked a strand behind her ear. Jade allowed the contact, her expression unreadable in the moonlight.
“We should head back,” she said finally, turning toward the car.
On the return journey, the car hit a pothole<b>, </b>causing something to slide from beneath Ethan’s seat. He bent down to retrieve it–a small, intricately crafted box that had fallen to the floor.
“Is this yours?” he asked, holding it up.
Archer Sullivan sat in his home office, a ss of whiskey in one hand and an old photograph in the other. He’d retrieved it from his safe as soon as he’d returned from the Thornton party, unable to shake the image of the young woman he’d seen there–Jade Morgan.
The woman in the photograph had the opposite demeanor–warm eyes, a gentle smile–but the facial structure, the bone architecture was strikingly simr. Eight out of ten points matched, despite the difference in expression and the years between the images.
A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts. “Come in,” he called, quickly slipping the photograph into his desk drawer.
Aurelia entered, her face free of makeup and covered with a sheet mask. She was dressed in pajamas, sitting cross-
17:13 Wed, Sep 24 <b>G </b>
legged on the office sofa with a bowl of fruit in herp as she scrolled through her phone.
“That young woman standing next to Chase Astor tonight,” Archer began casually, “the pretty one. Do you know
her?”
Aurelia looked up from her phone, her eyes visible through the cutouts in the mask. “Jade Morgan? What about
her?”
“Just curious. How old is she? Where is she from?”
“Eighteen, from Cloud City.” Aurelia peeled off her face mask, folding it carefully. “Why are you asking about her?”
“Just making conversation.” Archer leaned back in his chair. “Did something happen between you two? You seem
tense when I mention her.”
<b>58 </b>
Aurelia rolled her eyes. “She shows up out of nowhere and suddenly she’s the new campus queen. She stole my spot as the most beautiful girl in our year.” She stabbed a piece of melon with unnecessary force. “And Edward Sheldon can’t stop talking about how brilliant she is.”
Archer studied his daughter thoughtfully. “Beauty and intelligence aren’t finite resources, Aurelia. There’s room for more than one exceptional young woman at Princeton.” He smiled gently. “Perhaps instead of seeing her as a rival,
you might consider befriending someone so aplished.”
“Whatever,” Aurelia muttered, but the seed of her father’s advice had been nted.
Later that night, Archery awake in his bedroom, the faces from the photograph and the party alternating in his mind like a slideshow. The resemnce was too strong to be coincidental.
It can’t be, he thought. <i>But </i><i>if </i><i>it </i><i>is</i>…
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