Badass in Disguise
<b>Chapter </b><b>183 </b>
Author’s POV:
The One:1 growled to a stop in front of Jade’s house, and she cut the engine. The suburban silence that followed was almost jarring after the roar of the hypercar. Night hadn’t spoken since they turned onto her street, his eyes fixed on the two–story building she called home.
“Darling,” he finally said, his ent thickening with disbelief, “please don’t tell me you actually live in this… ce?”
Jade nced at the overgrownwn.
“What’s wrong with it?” she asked, though she knew exactly what he was thinking.
Night gestured dramatically at the house. “I gave you a ck card with no limit. No. Limit. And you’re wearing that garbage watch and living in this…” he paused, searching for the right word, “dump.”
Jade got out of the car, mming the door harder than necessary. The sound echoed through the quiet neighborhood, making a stray cat dart across the yard.
Night followed, still ranting as his Italian leather shoes crunched on the gravel driveway. “Did Chris Jensen stay here
too when he visited? In this architectural tragedy?”
“Mmm,” Jade replied nomittally, fishing her keys from her pocket.
“You’re certain you didn’t take him somewhere decent?” Night pressed, catching up to her on the porch. “A five–star
hotel? A penthouse? Or…”
Jade turned to face him, irritation bubbling beneath her calm exterior. Her cold eyes met his. “Are youing in or
not? If not, you can sleep in the car.”
Night’s face broke into a smile<b>, </b>his eyes softening. “Of course I’ming in. I’d sleep in a cardboard box and eat fast food every day if it meant being with you.”
The lock clicked, and Jade pushed the door open, flicking on lights as she entered. Night followed, his designer shoes looking absurdly out of ce on the cheap carpet.
“Upstairs or downstairs?” Jade asked tly, dropping her keys on the hall table.
Night’s expression turned hopeful, brightening his handsome vic features, “Preferably in the same room as you. <b>I’ll </b><b>take </b><b>the </b>floor<b>, </b>couch, whatever you want.”
She gave him a cold look that would have sent most men running. ‘Disposing of bodies here <b>is </b>slightly <b>inconvenient</b><b>, </b>but <b>not </b>impossible<b>.</b><b>” </b>
<b>8:18 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>
:
Night spread his arms wide, smile never faltering. “I’m yours to do with as you please.”
Later that night, Jade heard Night’s animated voice from the living room. She moved silently down the hallway, staying in the shadows as she approached. Years of training had made her footsteps imperceptible, a ghost in her own home.
<b>97 </b>
“-her ce is like something from a horror movie,” Night was saying, hisptop screen illuminating his face in the softly lit room. A small tablemp cast warm shadows across the walls while his golden curls caught the mixed light, creating an almost ethereal glow around his head.
Chris Jensen’s voice came through the speakers. “Do you know who she wanted that watch for?”
Night’s posture straightened, pride and arrogance radiating from him. “I know. Met him today. Patheticpetition.”
“Interesting,” Chris replied thoughtfully. “He must be serious about her. When I met him recently, he kept hisposure remarkably well.”
“He wouldn’t dare,” Night scoffed, his ent growing thicker with his irritation.
Jade reached for the tablemp’s switch and flipped it off, plunging the room into darkness except for the blue glow of theptop screen. Night let out a startled yelp that quickly morphed into nervousughter.
“Jesus, baby, how do you walk so silently?” He fumbled to turn on his phone shlight. “Were you trying to give me a
heart attack?”
“If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have the chance to scream,” Jade said simply, her silhouette barely visible in the doorway, now illuminated only by theptop’s glow.
The next morning, Chase’s excited voice carried across the Princeton parking lot as he honked repeatedly at the sleek hypercar pulling into a reserved space. His face fellically when a tall man with golden curls stepped out instead of Jade,
Night nced at Chase with mild annoyance before striding toward the Computer Science building, his camel hair coat billowing behind him. Students stopped mid–conversation as he passed, phones raised to capture the stranger who looked like European royalty dropped into their mundane campus.
Within minutes<b>, </b>the university forum exploded with posts andments:
“Who’s the prince <i>that </i>just <i>arrived </i>in a Koenigsegg???<i>” </i>
“<i>That </i><i>watch </i><i>he’s </i><i>wearing </i><i>could </i><i>probably </i><i>pay </i><i>my </i>entire tuition.”
<i>“</i><i>Did </i><i>you </i>see <i>his </i><i>HAIR</i><i>? </i>It’s like a <i>golden </i>lion’s mane <i>but </i><i>BETTER</i><i>.</i>”
<b>8:18 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>
By evening, the Halloween party at Princeton’s main hall was in full swing. Orange and ck decorations hung from the ceiling, fake cobwebs draped across corners, and stic skeletons guarded the punch bowl. When Night and Jade walked in together, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. Night’s hand rested possessively on her shoulder, his fingers idly ying with a strand of her hair.
The whispers followed them around the room like persistent shadows:
<i>“</i><i>First </i><i>Haxton</i>, <i>now </i><i>this </i><i>guy</i><i>? </i><i>Morgan’s </i><i>got </i>a <i>type</i><i>–</i><i>rich </i><i>and </i>gorgeous.”
“<i>The </i><i>eternal </i><i>Morgan </i><i>goddess </i><i>and </i><i>her </i><i>revolving </i>door <i>of </i><i>hot </i><i>men</i>.”
Night pulled Jade toward a quieter corner, away from the pulsing music and Halloween decorations. “This ce is suffocating.” His eyes searched hers. “When are youing back to Russia with me?”
“I like being a student for now,” she replied. “After we deal with the Shadow Organization, we’ll see.”
Night’s face fell into an exaggerated pout. “And what about me in the meantime?”
Jade nced at him, deadpan. “You’re a bit old for college, but if you’re not embarrassed, I could ask the president to add a desk for you.”
His eyes lit up. “I love when you threaten people and when you say absurd things with a straight face.”
“I prefer myself with a knife,” she replied tly.
“I love that too,” he said without missing a beat.
Chase appeared beside them, his Halloween costume–some superhero neither recognized–slightly askew. “<b>I </b>saw someone driving your car today,” he said to Jade. “Did someone steal it?”
Night leaned forward, pulling Jade closer to him possessively. “Darling, don’t talk to other men,”
Only then did Chase notice Night’s presence, his eyes widened. “Darling? Are you and Haxton over or something?”
‘He’s just a friend,” Jade said neutrally.
Chase immediately filed Night into the “powerful connection” category, his demeanor shifting. “Oh! Cool. Who is he? Can you introduce us?”
‘Maybe if <b>you </b>were a beautiful woman,” Jade replied.
Night pulled her face toward his. “What beautiful women? Have you ever seen me with anyone else when I’m with you?” His thumb traced her jawline possessively.
8:18 Thu, Sep 25
Chase watched their interaction with fascination bordering on disbelief.
Back in New York, Ethan Haxton scrolled through Princeton’s social media feeds, his jaw tightening as images of Night and Jade reced those of them together. The hashtag #MorgansMysteriousMan was trending across campusworks, with students specting wildly about the golden–haired stranger.
He typed a message to Jade: <i>“</i><i>How </i><i>was </i><i>the </i><i>Halloween </i><i>party</i><i>?</i>”
A reply came almost instantly: <i>“</i><i>None </i><i>of </i><i>your </i><i>business</i>.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed, recognizing immediately that Jade wasn’t the one who responded. Night had taken her phone. He waited for a correction, an apology, anything–but her phone remained silent.
After a long moment, he turned his gaze toward the bathroom door and got an idea.
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