Chapter 752
I pulled Nina into my arms, holding her tight as | scanned the men standing before me.
They didn't attack, just stood there watching. Then | heard hurried footsteps, followed by a panicked voice.
"Nina, don't be scared-Mommy's here!"
Cue Sasha's tic entrance.
She burst in, ripped Nina from my arms, and shovedaside like | was the villain in her
soap opera.
Theatrics? Ten out of ten. Sasha deserved an Oscar.
Clutching Nina close, she covered her with kisses and soothing words before whipping around to glare at me.
"Keira, | trusted you! | even let Nina be your friend, and this is what you
do? You used our trust to hurt us!"
"I don't think Keira hurt me," Nina piped up, defendingbefore I could get a word in.
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Sasha's face stiffened for a split second, but she quickly recovered, squeezing Nina tighter and bursting into
tears.
The men in black didn't touch me, of course. Why would they? Sasha had hired them for her little performance.
Her goal was simple: get Nina back. Now that she had her, there was no need for any Ore theatrics.
ork
Sasha's had wrapped up, but for me? This was just the opening act of a much bigger
problem.
Right on cue, Thorsten clooking for me.
"Ms. Kay, I'm sure you know why I've asked to see you," he said, wasting no time.
| met his gaze, my mind replaying Sasha's little stunt. Even the smartest people have their blind spots, and
Thorsten? He was the poster child right now. He'd been played by the person sharing his bed. "You're here to ask
why | supposedly kidnapped your daughter?" | said, one eyebrow
raised.
Thorsten hadn't sent anyone to roughup-he'd simply requested a meeting. Just as Sasha had predicted, his
guilt kept him restrained. But he wasn't about to let this go without answers. "Don't you already know?" | added
with a smirk.
His expression was calm but sharp. "You're not the type to hurt a child, not even out of
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Chapter 782
revenge. If you were after vengeance, you'd aim higher. This... isn't your style."
For once, the schemer saw a sliver of truth in me.
"You could just tellyour reasons," he offered, his voice level but pointed. "Maybe what you want is something
we can negotiate."
Ah, the seasoned player. When the amateurs like Cole fumbled, Thorsten was here to clean up the mess. His so-
called reasonableness wasn't compassion-it was strategy. He wanted what they all did: whatever Hayden had left
me.
Hayden once toldthe item in his urn was just sinvestigation data. But now I realized the truth-it wasn't
just paperwork. It was his shield, his lifeline. And now, mine.
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it was
"Since you're being so direct, I'll be honest too. | want Xander back from DracolLux, safe and unharmed," | said,
watching Thorsten's eyes narrow slightly.
He was waiting forto explain, so | did. "You probably already know-I was with Jace for a while, but we broke
up. After that, | was with Hayden... until a few months ago, when he... was gone." | paused, letting the weight of
those words settle. "Recently, at DracoLux, | met someone named Xander. He remindsof Hayden. A lot."
| stopped there. Thorsten was smart enough to connect the dots withoutspelling it out. Maybe he already
knew. Maybe this was just another one of his tests.
"All this... for a male escort?" he asked, his tone laced with skepticism.
What a sly fox. | stuck to my story. "He's not just any male escort. To me, he feels like Hayden cback to life."
Thorsten sighed, his voice tinged with pity. "Keira, you're being foolish."
| stayed silent, letting him think he had the upper hand.
Thorsten shook his head. "You've spent twith Xander, haven't you? You must have noticed how different he
is from Hayden. He'll never be the person you're looking for."
| let a flicker of sadness cross my face. "You're right. The person | want isn't coming back. But having someone
who remindsof him... it's a small comfort."