Reborn Heiress: Escaping My Contract Marriage with the Cold CEO
Chapter 47: Lucky You’re Cute

Chapter 47: Lucky You’re Cute

VANESSA BELMONT

I froze mid-kiss, my fingers still tangled in Nathan’s silky hair. The sound of shattering ceramic echoed across the bedroom, followed by the unmistakable thump-thump-thump of paws making a hasty retreat.

Nathan sighed against my shoulder, his warm breath tickling my bared skin. "I swear to God, if that furry bastard broke another—"

"What furry bastard?" I cut him off, craning my neck to peer over his shoulder. "Oh, my God!"

A familiar orange-striped menace trotted into view, tail held high. Henry. My Henry. The cat who had curled up beside me when I cried, who had batted pens off my desk, who had knocked over a full glass of wine onto my mother’s favorite Persian rug. The fact he was alive was a testament to Henry’s ability to GTFO and hide.

And now, thanks to Nathan, he was here. In our home.

Nathan groaned, rolling off me to sit up. "That vase was Ming Dynasty."

I sat up too, but not to mourn the loss of ancient pottery. "My bah-be!"

My fluffy, judgmental, utterly chaotic confidant. The only living creature who had seen me at my absolute worst and still loved me. Which he often showed by sleeping on my face.

He chirped at me—that ridiculous, high-pitched sound he made when he was particularly pleased with himself—then sauntered over, rubbing his entire body against my leg like he was reminding me: Yes, I live here now. Worship me.

Nathan scowled at him. "You’re lucky you’re cute."

Henry ignored him, opting instead to leap onto the bed and headbutt my hand until I scratched behind his ears. His purr was a deep, rumbling engine of pure entitlement.

"I can’t believe you brought him here," I murmured, stroking Henry’s soft fur. My chest tightened. "I gave him to Ollie because I didn’t think you liked cats."

"Oliver told me," said Nathan. "I asked him for Henry, and he gladly gave him to us. Apparently Henry shredded some of his favorite suits and killed all the lamp cords in his bedroom."

"That’s on brand for Henry," I said.

Nathan stretched out beside me, propping up on one elbow. "What, you thought I wouldn’t let you have your emotional support terrorist?"

"He’s not a terrorist," I said defensively, even as Henry chose that exact moment to turn and give Nathan an up-close-and-personal look at his butthole.

Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine, he’s kind of a terrorist," I admitted.

Henry, having decided he’d claimed enough affection for now, flopped dramatically onto his side, tail twitching, before closing his eyes and purring himself to sleep.

Nathan took advantage of my distraction, leaning in to press a kiss just below my ear. "You know," he murmured, his voice low in that sexy way that made my stomach fluttery, "we were in the middle of something before His Highness decided to redecorate."

I shivered as his lips traced the line of my jaw. "Mmm. Were we? I don’t recall."

His hand slid up my thigh, fingers teasing the hem of my dress. "Let me refresh your memory."

I was absolutely about to let him—until Henry, the little traitor, chose that exact moment to launch himself directly onto Nathan’s back.

Nathan hissed in pain. "What the—Henry!"

The cat ignored him, kneading his paws into Nathan’s shoulders like he was preparing dough.

I burst out laughing. "I think he’s asserting dominance."

Nathan shot me a look of mock anger. "This is your fault. You taught him he owns the world." Nathan kissed my chin. "You should tell him the only person who owns my world is you."

I was this close to making a truly embarrassing cooing noise when Nathan’s phone rang.

He groaned, dropping his forehead against my shoulder. "I swear to God, if this is another—"

The phone kept ringing.

I patted his cheek. "Answer it, Nate."

Grumbling, Nathan rolled off me (dislodging Henry, who gave an indignant mrrow) and snatched his phone off the nightstand. "What?"

Malone’s voice crackled through the speaker, tense and urgent. Even from where I sat, I could hear the edge in it.

Nathan’s expression darkened instantly. "Where?" A pause. "How many?" Another pause, longer this time. His jaw clenched. "I’ll be there in twenty."

He hung up, already moving toward the closet.

I sat up straighter. "What’s wrong?"

Nathan yanked a fresh shirt off a hanger, his movements quick, precise. "Someone just tried to breach the cyber security at the company."

My stomach dropped. "Who? Why?"

"Good questions." He met my eyes, and the ice in his gaze sent a chill down my spine. "Believe me, I’ll find out."

I didn’t need him to elaborate. Nathan and the Jang Group had enemies. Ruthless ones.

Henry trotted over to me, pressing against my side like a fat, furry bodyguard.

Nathan buttoned his shirt, his mind clearly racing. "I have to go, Neenie. I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay."

Nathan leaned over and gave me a toe-curling kiss that made my whole body feel electrified. "Keep Henry out of trouble."

"Keep yourself out of trouble."

He was already halfway out the door, but he shot me one last look over his shoulder. "No promises."

And then he was gone.

I scooped up Henry and scratched under his chin. "Tell me everything’s going to be alright."

Henry meowed--perhaps a kitty attempt to reassure me.

But foreboding lodged in my gut like hot bricks. And I didn’t feel better at all.

***|***|***|***|***

NATHAN JANG

The Maybach glided through the city streets, its blacked-out windows shielding me from the neon glare of downtown Ash City.

Outside, the city pulsed—a living, breathing beast of light and sound—but inside the car, there was only the faint jazz music Malone insisted on playing. The saxophone was too smooth, too easy. It grated against the razor’s edge of my focus.

Someone had breached one of our client’s servers. Who the hell would risk hacking us? We were number one in cyber security.

The Jang Group’s security system was my design, my masterpiece—triple-encrypted, with biometric locks and redundancies even the Pentagon would envy. No one cracked it. No one dared.

And yet.

My phone buzzed. My tech wiz’s name flashed. Grady Hughes, the younger brother of my good friend Jack. He was barely twenty-two, but he was an excellent cyber security specialist--and when needed, the best hacker available. I answered the call. "Talk."

"Boss, we traced the IP." A pause. Too long. "The signal’s bouncing off servers in several countries. Whoever it is, they’re really good."

My fingers tightened around the phone. "We’re supposed to be better. What was breached?"

"President Jang, they ... um, they dug around in the Blackridge server."

The air left my lungs in a slow exhale. That was where Fiona had been sent. Coincidence? Hell, no. "How did they get in?"

"On site," said Grady. "Someone planted a virus directly into the server, and that opens several backdoors."

"My company has a mole?" Anger burned through me. Someone in the company dared to betray me? "Find whoever it is, Grady. Lock down the building. No one leaves."

"Yes, sir."

The Maybach took a sharp turn, skyscrapers blurring into streaks of gold. I rolled my shoulders, trying to shed the tension. Neenie’s face flickered in my mind—her lips swollen from my kisses, her fingers tangled in my hair, that little smirk when Henry decided my back was his new throne.

Christ. I should be there. Not in this car on the way to the company to fix a fucking hack problem.

Malone’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. "Five minutes until we reach the company, sir."

I nodded.

Then—

A flicker in the side mirror. A van, too close. Too fast.

Malone’s grip tightened. "Boss—"

Tires screeched.

Headlights blinded me—not from ahead, but the side, a delivery truck roaring straight for us like a battering ram.

Ambush.

Instinct kicked in. I braced, one arm against the seat, the other against the window. The impact hit like a grenade.

Metal screamed. Glass shattered. The world tilted—

And then we were flying.

The Maybach flipped, weightless for one sickening second before gravity yanked us down. My skull cracked against the window. Pain exploded behind my eyes. The seatbelt locked, crushing the air from my lungs.

The second impact came as we hit the pavement—roof first—crumpling like paper. The jazz still played, some fucking trumpet solo now, cheerful as a funeral march.

Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision.

Neenie.

Her laugh echoed in my head, bright and unguarded. She loved me. She loved me and I hadn’t made up for my past mistakes yet. I needed time to love her. To show her that she was important to me.

Blood trickled down my temple.

"Malone?" My voice came out ragged. "Malone!"

No response.

I tried to move, but the crushed roof pinned me at an awkward angle. The Maybach’s custom safety cage had saved my life, but now it felt like a coffin. Through the spiderwebbed windshield, I saw the delivery truck’s grille steaming in the night air.

Footsteps approached. Heavy boots crunched on broken glass.

A shadow loomed outside the shattered window.

There were at least two of them flanking the car. Professionals, then. This wasn’t some random hit.

I closed my eyes, playing dead. Let them think they’d won. The moment they opened that door—

A gloved hand clamped onto my shoulder. "Don’t move, Mr. Jang."