Page 20 of Shattered By Grace

As she sipped on the cool water, her stomach grumbled loudly. She realized she had skipped dinner and her body was now paying the price. With a sigh, she grabbed a frying pan hanging neatly on the wall and set it on the stove. The small kitchen was cluttered but functional, exactly as it looked in the rental photos, though she’d added her own touches. She couldn't help but notice how the previous tenants had beautifully displayed their cookware on the wall, making it easy to access incase of an emergency, like needing to knock someone the fuck out.

With practiced ease, she cracked some eggs into the pan and began cooking her breakfast. As much as she wanted to crawl back into bed, she had to be at work in an hour. The thought alone made her groan, but at least she wouldn't be facing the day on an empty stomach.

Victoria’s mind raced as she flipped the eggs in the pan, the sizzle and pop of the oil grounding her in the present. The events of the previous night replayed in her mind, relentless and uninvited. She tried to push thoughts of Razer aside, focusing instead on the simple routine of cooking breakfast. “Okay, let’s not dwell on that right now,” she muttered to herself.

She plated her breakfast and sat down at the small dining table, Clawdia winding around her legs and purring softly. As she absently scratched behind the cat’s ears, her mind drifted to the Locke twins.

Suddenly, a jolt of realization hit her. “SHIT!” Victoria exclaimed, startling Clawdia, who leaped away with an affronted hiss. “Damn, it’s Friday, and I completely forgot about going out with Taylor tonight.”

Victoria glanced at the clock, mentally calculating how to juggle the evening’s plans. “I want to cancel so badly,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “Ugh, Taylor, this better be worth it.”

Victoria had been at work for about five hours, her focus divided between her notes and the steady stream of patients. The humof conversation and the occasional beep of medical equipment provided a constant backdrop to her thoughts.

She was just finishing up a set of notes from her last patient when Taylor, her co-worker and close friend, burst into the room with a wide grin on her face.

“Hey girl! I am so excited about this evening!” Taylor’s enthusiasm was infectious as she practically bounced with energy. “I want to take you to this hot new club off Main. It’s called the Crimson Veil.”

Victoria paused mid-sentence, her pen hovering above her notes. She looked up at Taylor, her expression a mix of curiosity and skepticism. “Crimson Veil? That’s a strange name for a club.”

Taylor laughed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I know, right? But it’s supposed to be amazing, super exclusive and with an atmosphere like nothing else.Total old-world glamour but still modern with an edge.”

Victoria raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite herself. “Well, that sounds... intriguing. But you know I’m not exactly the clubbing type.”

“Grace!” Taylor exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips with an exaggerated attitude. “Do you just live at the gym? Is that like your second home?” She made a face, clearly amused. “I mean, at this rate, you’re going to start smelling like a gym rat.”

Victoria feigned outrage, putting a hand over her heart as if deeply wounded. “Oh, how could you insult me so?” she said, trying to sound dramatic.

Taylor laughed, shaking her head. “Keep your day job, Grace, because acting is definitely not your strong suit.”

The two burst into laughter, their camaraderie evident in the playful banter. “Okay, I’ll meet you at the club at eight tonight,” Taylor said with a wink, not waiting for a response before heading off.

Victoria shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. She got up to grab a drink from the fridge, her thoughts shifting to what she would wear. “What the heck am I going to wear?” she muttered to herself. “I do have that one black dress in the closet...”

“I’m going to head to lunch, I’ll have my pager on me if anything happens in room two,” Victoria addressed the charge nurse on the floor as she bent down to grab her purse out of the cabinet. “Do you need anything?” She asked and she was turning to head to the elevator.

“No, thank you. Enjoy lunch,” the nurse responded.

Heading to the elevator, Victoria absentmindedly pulled her phone from her purse and noticed a voicemail from her adoptive mother, Lucy. She sighed, a mix of love and exasperation bubbling up. Lucy had been her guardian angel, always there to protect her, but sometimes, her worry was suffocating.

The elevator pinged, pulling Victoria from her chaotic thoughts. As the doors slid open, her heart leaped into her throat. There they were, right in front of her. Razer and Tristan. Their presence hit her like a physical force, suffocating and inescapable. She froze, her breath caught in her chest, every instinct screaming to run, but her feet were glued to the floor.

Her phone slipped from her fingers, falling with a loud clatter, but it felt distant, like she was watching everything unfold from outside her own body. Fear crept in, icy and suffocating. She cursed herself. How was she letting this happen? No one could know. Not yet.

Razer’s gaze swept over her with unnerving precision, his eyes scanning her like a predator searching for weakness. The weight of his stare sent an involuntary chill down her spine.Little bird.His voice echoed in her mind like a ghost, a reminder of just how easily he could destroy everything. Her pulse raced, her body trembling despite her efforts to keep it still.

Did he recognize me? Does he remember what I did to him?Her throat went dry, the air thick with tension. Her pulse roared in her ears.

Do not run.

Tristan was dressed head-to-toe in black, his hair a deliberately tousled mess that only added to his raw, dangerous allure. His eyes locked onto hers, dark and penetrating, holding her captive under his gaze. He bent down to pick up her phone, slow and deliberate, his movements calculated and predatory.

As he straightened, Tristan closed the already small space between them until they were just inches apart. His cologne, a heady mix of mandarin, earthy sage, and dark musk, enveloped her, intoxicating and disarming. The subtle heat of jasmine and the bite of sandalwood hinted at danger, leaving her pulse racing.

He reached out, his hand wrapping around hers with a possessive grip. The touch sent a jolt of electricity through her, amplifying her fear and confusion. His voice, low and dangerously smooth, slid over her like silk as he leaned in, his lips almost brushing her ear. "Do I make you nervous, love?"

Yes. Because you're standing next to the man who tried to kill me. Because you showed up with the one man who could unravel everything. Because if he remembers, I’m dead. Because you’re too damn close, and I can’t tell if my pulse is racing from fear… or something worse.The thought slammed through her, sharp and undeniable. Half shocked by the split in her own mind, she mentally shook herself, forcing focus.

His breath was hot against her skin, and she could feel every inch of him, every ounce of his power and control. The room seemed to close in around her, the walls pressing down, making it hard to breathe, to think. She was trapped, ensnared by the dangerous allure of a man who could destroy her with a single word. Victoria's breath hitched, her heart pounding in her chestas she struggled to steady herself."A little too confident, aren't you?" Her voice came out shaky, despite the smirk she forced onto her lips. “Can I have my hand back?”

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