THEON
Fuck, my bones were on fire.
I had glue sticking to my hands, bits of paint under my nails, and fresh cuts that stung. I let out a long breath, leaning against the edge of my counter, staring at my hands—red, raw, and ruined. They’d been through hell today.
I’d cut every one of those pumpkins at that café yesterday afternoon till midnight. I hadn’t planned to, but something made me grab the carving knife. Maybe it was the idea of Ainsley laughing when she saw those sad-faced pumpkins, the thought of her smile cracking through that hard wall she put up around me. Yeah, that thought drove me, pushed me through every swipe of the knife.
But I didn’t go all in like that again for the pumpkins at her house. No, I’d bought those pumpkins, the fog machines, every light and ghost that littered her front yard. My body couldn’t take more of the carving, and I wanted as many jack-o’-lanterns as possible for her. Between cooking and carving, I had more than a few cuts. But none of that mattered when I was doing it.
The apartment was a wreck. Halloween decorations were scattered everywhere—fake cobwebs, unopened boxes of lights I never got around to using. The chaos suited my mood, but I couldn’t leave it like that. Not tonight. I wanted to put all of them out, but there was something I needed to see first.
I wiped my hands on my jeans, leaving streaks of glue, and pushed myself towards my computer. My fingers moved over the keyboard, pulling up the feed from Ainsley’s front yard. Thesecond her face appeared on screen, the pain faded into nothing. It didn’t exist. All that mattered was suddenly her.
She was smiling—fuck, she was smiling—and my chest tightened at the sight. Her eyes twinkled in the dim light, reflecting the orange glow of light from the pumpkins I’d placed on her porch. Her head tilted, taking in every detail, from the fog rolling over the ground to the flickering ghosts hanging above.
She was beautiful.
My hands throbbed again, a reminder of the work I’d put in, but seeing her like this made it worth every drop of blood and sweat.
I’d rushed through it all. The fog machine arrived late—nearly screwed up the whole thing—but I’d worked with what I had, raced against time, and somehow, it came together. I didn’t sleep—couldn’t—didn’t even stop to breathe, just pushed myself because all I wanted was this—her standing there, eyes lit up like a million stars.
She didn’t stop smiling, not once, as she walked up to her porch. I watched her until she disappeared inside, the door closing behind her. Then, and only then, did I let myself lean back, closing my eyes for just a second.
My phone rang in my pocket, pulling me from the calm I had just settled into. Slipping it out, I brought it to my ear, already knowing who was on the other end.
His voice came through, grating like nails on a chalkboard. “I just got your email. I’m not sure exactly what you—”
“I’m calling in a favour,” I cut him off, leaning forward, my voice low. “You owe me one.”
There was silence on the other end before I heard a long, deep breath. “What favour is that?”
Two years ago, he’d been on the brink of losing everything. The country’s tax revenue had disappeared into his pockets, and the authorities had somehow found the traces he carelessly left,ready to drag him through court and then jail. Some hacker had dug it all up, ready to sell the evidence to the CI, and that would have been the end of him. But I got there first. Hacked into the IRS servers, wiped every trace clean, and his entire case vanished like smoke. Since then, he’d stopped because he almost lost his company, and I never threatened him with the evidence.
I’d told him I’d call in a favour someday. Well, that day was today. Looking back, I must have saved his ass that year because a part of me knew Ainsley had always wanted to work there.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I opened my eyes and pulled up the live feed to Ainsley’s living room. “That’s her application and everything you need to do. Give her the job.”
The bastard chuckled like I’d just asked him to move a mountain. “It’s not as simple as that. One, the yearly recruitment cycle is over. And two, the position you’re asking for…Marketing Director isn’t something just anyone can—”
“Is the spot empty?” I asked, already knowing the answer. I’d made sure of it one week ago.
He hesitated. “Yes, but we have someone else—”
“Are you the chairman or not?”
A heavy sigh filtered through the line. “I still am.”
“That’s great. Then make it possible.” I kept my voice even, but the edge was unmistakable. “I don’t care about your procedures, your rules, or whoever you’ve lined up for that position. You’ll put Ainsley Hades in that chair unless you want to lose your title. And believe me, Kevin, I can make that happen.”
There was a long pause. His voice, when it came, was tight. “I’ll... I’ll see to it.”
I nodded, my eyes narrowing as Ainsley walked into her living room on the feed, a brush in her mouth, towel wrapped around her damp hair. “Good. And one more thing.” My voice dropped an octave. He had no time to respond. “Memorise herface. If you or anyone messes with her, you won’t live to see the next hour.” The threat was sharp, cold and deadly. “I’ll hunt you down, Kevin. I’ll find you no matter where you run, and when I do, you’ll wish I’d never been born. Tell everyone who might pose a threat to her. No one lays a hand on her. Are we clear?”
“Yes,” he croaked, his voice almost trembling. “I understand.”
I ended the call without another word, my hand lowering the phone slowly as my eyes followed her back to the hallway until she disappeared inside her room.
The seconds passed, and reality hit. My place was still a fucking mess.
