Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Aaron’s POV

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“It’s a box, sir. We weren’t given any details-only instructions to deliver it to you personally,”

I looked at Jess. She was watching me, her eyes focusing as she realized something was happening.

“We’re five minutes away,” I told the concierge. “Don’t touch it. Don’t let anyone near it. If that box moves an inch before I get there, I’ll have your head.”

I hung up and looked at David. “There’s something waiting for us at the hotel.”

David’s jaw set. He didn’t need to be told what it was. Kennedy didn’t do things by halves.

He wanted us to feel the terror. He wanted us to know that he could reach into our most private spaces whenever he pleased.

We sped toward the hotel, sirens cutting through the night as city lights flashed past the glass.

When we pulled up to the curb, I didn’t wait for the door to be opened. I was out of the car before it had fully stopped, pulling Jess with me.

We marched through the lobby, the staff shrinking back from the look on my face.

I was still in my basketball shorts and jersey, a champion drenched in sweat from a win that had already turned bitter.

People stared, some probably wanted autographs-but they took one look at my face and scrambled out of the way.

The concierge was standing behind the mahogany desk, his skin the color of ash.

As we approached, his eyes darted to a large, wooden crate sitting on a luggage cart off to the side.

It was a long, heavy chest, wrapped in shimmering silver paper that looked sickeningly festive under the lobby’s chandeliers.

“Mr. Tyrone,” the man stammered, his voice thin. “The men who brought it… they said it was a gift for the MVP. They insisted it be opened immediately.”

My heart wasn’t just beating; it was slamming against my ribs. I felt Jess stiffen beside me, her fingers digging into my arm.

“Aaron,” David whispered, stepping up behind us.

His hand landed on my shoulder, a silent warning.

“Let me get security to move it to a private room. We don’t know what’s in there.”

“No,” I stopped him, my voice sounding like it was coming from the bottom of a well. “He sent it to me. He wants me to see it here.”

I stepped toward the cart. The silver paper caught the light, gleaming with a polished, cruel beauty.

I reached out, my fingers trembling as I gripped the edge of the wrapping.

I tore it away in one violent motion, revealing the dark, polished wood beneath.

There was no lock, only a heavy lid.

I didn’t think. I couldn’t afford to. I gripped the edge of the lid and heaved it upward.

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14:37 Sat, Feb 28 M m M

Chapter 171

The air in the lobby vanished instantly.

Inside, nestled on a bed of white satin that looked like a mockery of a casket, was Fiona.

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She was dressed in one of her own designer gowns, a deep emeld silk that looked striking against the unnatural pallor of her skin.

Her hands were crossed over her chest, and her face had been expertly done-makeup applied to hide the bruising, her hair fanned out in perfect, glossy waves.

She looked like she was sleeping, but the absolute stillness of her chest told a different story.

Jess let out a sound that I will hear in my nightmares until the day I die-a strangled, high-pitched gasp that broke into a frantic sob.

She buried her face in my shoulder, her body racking with violent tremors.

I couldn’t think. I couldn’t blink. My eyes were fixed on Fiona’s hands. They were crossed over her stomach, stiff and blue at the tips.

Tucked under her thumb was a piece of expensive cream cardstock.

I reached in. My fingers brushed her arm, and the cold of her skin made my stomach flip.

I pulled the card out.

‘She was always a poor negotiator, Aaron. She chose a secret that wasn’t hers to keep over a life that was. I hope you’re more practical. Come to me. Let’s discuss the terms of your surrender before I have to send a smaller box.

I didn’t hear the lobby anymore. The fans, the cameras, the noise-it all just stopped.

I looked at the woman who had once been my world, now reduced to a prop in a madman’s game. My jaw set so hard I felt a tooth crack.

The grief was there, sharp and bitter, but it was being drowned out by a black, bottomless rage that made my vision blur.

“Aaron,” David whispered. He sounded like he was miles away. “We have to move. The staff… people are starting to look.”

I still didn’t move an inch. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Kennedy hadn’t just killed her; he’d delivered her like a package to make sure I knew exactly what he was capable of doing to

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