The Ex-con Queen Strikes Back novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Yana’s voice broke the moment. “Freya”

Pestering a guest with questions was bad manners, and Yana was losing patience,

Freya’s cheeks reddened, and she dipped her head. “I’m really sorry. It just sounded like such a crazy coincidence, I got carried away”

Nadia brushed it off with a smile. “No big deal, Freya. It’s just spicy gossip. If you want the full story, let’s grab coffee sometime.”

Freya grinned and nodded. “That’d be great.”

Skylar’s gaze followed Nadia As she walked away, her

mind flipping through old memories. Have we met before the wondered

She thought hard but came up blank. With a mental slug, she let it go.

it wouldn’t matter if Nadia knew about her past. Prison had made her tough. She wasn’t afraid of anything now.

After waving off the last guests, Yana handed Skylar and Freya each a glass of warm milk.

“Don’t stay up too late, girls. Get some sleep.” She headed to her room.

Yana slipped into bed but couldn’t stop tossing and turning. Finally, she poked Carlos awake,

“Carlos, I’m still worried,” she said, her voice tonse. “Have someone look deeper into Skylar’s past.”

Carlos, half–asleep, sat up fast. “Babe, you scared the heck out of me!”

“Sleep, that’s all you

you do!” Yana huffed, smacking his arm.

Carlos grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles. “Easy, babe. You’re gonna bruise yourself, and then I be the one crying”

“Quiet!” Yana whispered.

Carlos zipped his lips.

“Did

d you hear me?” Yana asked, glaring.

“Crystal clear,” Carlos said, nodding “I’ll get someone on it tomorrow, I swear.”

“Now. Do it now!” Yana pushed.

Carlos grabbed his phone, already dialing. “Okay, okay, I’m on it. They’ll start tonight”

After the call, Yana still couldn’t relax. She slid out of bed and tiptoed to Skylar’s room,

Seeing the small shape under the blankets, her worries eased. She tucked the blanket around Skylar, lingering a moment before heading back to b

Once she left, Skylar’s eyes popped open.

In the dark, they sparkled like stars.

The next morning, Skylar walked out in a sleek blazer and slacks.

Over breakfast, she waved off Yana’s offer to drive her to the office, grabbing her keys

Her first day as CEO had the whole company buzzing

Whi

hispers about the new boss spread like crazy.

“I heard she’s the chairman’s long lost daughter, one worker said, leaning over a cubicle

“No way,” another snorted. “Why would he give a failing company like this to his kid?

“Who knows what he’s thinking?” the first said, shrugging. “We just keep our heads down and do our work”

“Fair,” the second agreed. “Let’s get moving b

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify