My little warrior.
She’s no longer that seventeen-year-old girl from the alleyway. Today, she's a fierce investigative reporter who came to me searching for answers.
My top lip curls.
Sebastian fucking Blackmon. The bastard I finally got rid of, only for my little warrior to pop up asking questions about him.
Blackmon is only of concern to me because of his business partner, Daniel Park. The man who made my life hell all those years ago.
The same son of a bitch that I’ve been plotting my revenge on for almost a decade.
I shake away those thoughts as I watch Kennedy’s SUV turn into the underground parking garage of her condo’s building.
I drive around to the next city block and pull into my own building’s garage.
Instead of using the private elevator, I park in my reserved spot and exit the garage, rounding the building to head to the front entrance. Before entering, I pause and turn my head to look up at the fifteenth floor.
At this point, I don’t need to count.
Satisfaction courses through me when light from inside illuminates the window. My feet move without thinking as I nod at the bellman, who greets me with his usual, “Mr. Dae, welcome home.”
The security at the front door is on his feet as soon as I enter the turnstile door.
“Mr. Kim, do you need—”
“I’m fine,” I tell him without stopping. I head to the private elevators and enter the code that takes me to the sixteenth floor of my building. It’s not the penthouse I could’ve owned as a partial building owner.
As I enter my spacious condominium, I heel-toe off my shoes and slide my feet into the indoor slippers always parked by the front door.
Striding toward my floor-to-ceiling living room window, I loosen the tie around my neck.
I toss the tie, then my vest, onto the low-sitting couch as I pass it. I search out the window almost directly across from mine. This is the reason I chose not to go with the penthouse.
It wouldn’t give me this view.
Satisfaction etches through my bones as I stare across at Kennedy’s window to see a shadow pass. She’s drawn her curtains, obscuring a clear view of her.
But she’s there.
I note every movement as she perches herself in her favorite room of her home. Her reading nook. The dark figure leans back against the wall, her knees hiked up while she rests the book on them.
I wonder which book has her attention tonight.
Time passes, and I do nothing but watch her.
From my pocket, I pull out the white silk handkerchief I always keep close. My thumb finds the raised edges of the lavender threaded initials stitched into the fabric.
K.T.
Her initials are just above the stain of blood no amount of handwashing could ever thoroughly remove.
A reminder of how weak I was that day.
I look back to Kennedy’s building. She’s still there. A genuine smile creeps across my lips. My little warrior has such a curious mind. Pride ripples through me, but it’s short lived.
Her curiosity is what brought her to me tonight. She wants answers about Sebastian Blackmon. She played her cards close to her chest during our brief exchange. She never revealed why she’s looking into Blackmon’s business dealings.
I don’t trust Blackmon, knowing the company he keeps. Once I land this deal with the Global Group, I’ll be financially able to take Blackmon and, more importantly, Daniel Park—the man who now runs my father’s company—down.