Chapter 519:

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She gave a small, contemptuous laugh. “Men like Finn Kensington, my dear, are always the easiest to manipulate.”

The black SUV ate up the miles, leaving the glittering cage of Manhattan far behind. Nearly two hours later, it turned down a private, unmarked road and came to a stop before a house that, from the outside, looked like any other modern, unassuming beach house on the Long Island coast. But the array of discreet security cameras and the reinforced steel gate told a different story. This was a fortress.

Dr. Miles, a sharp, silver-haired man with the calm demeanor of someone used to dealing with crises, was waiting inside. He examined Adam’s arm with quiet, efficient professionalism, changed the dressing, and confirmed the surgeon’s work was clean.

“No signs of infection,” he announced. “The best thing for him now is rest. No stress.”

Allison finally allowed the last knot of tension in her shoulders to release.

The safe house was a marvel of minimalist luxury and high-tech security. The entire back wall was a sheet of bulletproof glass looking out onto a private beach and the dark, churning expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

For the rest of the day and long into the night, Allison didn’t leave his side. She became his nurse, his assistant, his guardian. She brought him broth and water, helped Dr. Miles change the dressings, and sat by his bed, reading aloud from the latest issue of The Economist while he drifted in and out of a healing sleep.

𝖳𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘴𝖺𝗻𝗱𝗌 𝗈𝗳 𝗋еa𝖽𝖾𝗿ѕ 𝗈𝗇 𝗴𝖺𝘭𝘯о𝘷е𝘭𝘴.c𝘰𝗺

When he was awake, he rarely spoke. He just watched her, his gaze a tangible thing, following her as she moved around the room. In the quiet stillness of the house, a new kind of intimacy grew between them, forged not in passion or conflict, but in the simple, profound act of care.

The next morning, Allison woke with a crick in her neck. She had fallen asleep in the armchair by his bed. She opened her eyes to find him awake, watching her, his expression soft in the pale morning light. A thick cashmere blanket had been draped over her.

A faint blush rose in her cheeks. She sat up, stretching, and went to check his bandages. Everything looked clean. He was healing.

But she couldn’t stay here forever. A war was waiting for her back in the city.

“I have to go back,” she said softly, smoothing the blanket on his bed. “Those archives in the Compliance Department aren’t going to read themselves.”

A frown creased his brow. “Juan will drive you. Full security detail. Level one protocol.”

“No,” she said, her tone firm but gentle. “I can’t have your men swarming the building, Adam. It would just confirm every suspicion Baker has. It would make me look weak, like I can’t fight my own battles.”

She met his gaze, her own clear and resolute. “I’ll take one of the cars from the garage here. A normal one. I’ll be just another executive driving to work. It’s the safest way. Under the radar.”

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