Page 164 of The Hunter's Empire

The call ends, leaving the kitchen just as silent as it had been before the phone rang.

"I have to go." I say quietly.

Nico's expression hardens. "No."

"I owe him a conversation."

"You don’t owe him a damn thing." His voice remains calm, but there's an unmistakable edge to it. "After everything he did last night, the last place I want you is alone with him."

"Nico... we were together for years. I can't just disappear. I need to end this properly."

His jaw tightens. "He dragged you out of your own party and drove like a maniac." He shakes his head. "I don't trust him."

"I'll be careful."

He studies me for a long moment before pushing back his chair. Without a word, he walks to the entryway, picks up his car keys from the console near the front door, and returns to the table. He sets them down in front of me.

"Take my car."

I pick them up.

"If he apologizes, good. If he doesn't..." He leans forward slightly, his eyes never leaving mine. "The second he tries anything, you kick his ass."

Despite myself, I smile.

"I'm serious, Zora."

"I know."

"And then you call me. I don't care if you're in the middle of a sentence. You call me, and I'll come get you."

"I promise."

He doesn't look convinced, but after a long moment, he gives a reluctant nod.

A few minutes later, after changing into one of Nico's T-shirts and a pair of his trousers, I climb into his car. He remains standing on the front steps, watching in silence. Neither of us says goodbye. We simply hold each other's gaze for one lingering moment before I pull away.

I catch one last glimpse of him in the rearview mirror. He doesn't move. He simply stands there, hands in his pockets, watching until the distance finally swallows him from view.

As the city unfolds ahead of me, my thoughts refuse to settle. Only hours ago, Nico confessed that he had entered my life intending to destroy everything dad left behind, including me. Yet he was also the man who had crossed an entire city to save me, held me together when I fell apart, and told me the truth even knowing it could cost him everything.

I no longer know which version of him I'm supposed to believe. All I know is that I'm driving toward a conversation I can't avoid... while leaving behind the only person who has stopped lying to me.

Chapter 36

Zora

By the time I arrive at my office building, I feel as though I have lived an entire lifetime in less than twenty-four hours.

I remain seated inside the car for several moments after switching off the engine, my hands resting motionless against the steering wheel. Through the windshield, employees continue entering and leaving the building as though today is just another ordinary morning.

For them, perhaps it is. For me, everything feels different. The conversation with Nico refuses to leave my mind. Every confession, every apology, every painful truth continues replaying itself no matter how desperately I try to focus on something else. I close my eyes briefly, drawing in a slow breath before forcing myself to step out of the car.

The moment I walk through the revolving doors, I feel it. The attention.

Nobody says anything outright, yet I can sense it before I even reach the reception desk. Conversations that had been flowing naturally only seconds earlier suddenly grow quieter. Several employees lower their voices while others pretend to become unusually interested in their computer screens. A few offer polite smiles as I pass, but I catch them looking at me again the moment they think I am no longer paying attention.

I straighten my shoulders almost instinctively. If there is one lesson Dad drilled into me from the moment I was old enough to accompany him to business meetings, it was this…Never let them see you bleed.