Killer's Kiss

Chapter five

Lisa finally understood the maddening pull that blonde woman had over her: protectiveness. A craving. For the first time in her life, she wanted to own someone. To possess them.

It was driving her crazy. Even now, as she pressed her lips against a different woman's in one of the bathroom stalls at the event, her mind was elsewhere. The brunette beneath her was moaning, clearly enjoying herself, but Lisa felt nothing. No spark, no thrill. She had chosen a blonde as a distraction—thinking it would help—but it wasn't the right blonde.

With a frustrated sigh, Lisa pushed the woman away.

"Sorry. I—" She leaned back against the stall door, running a hand through her hair. Apologies didn't come easily to her. "This isn't working."

The woman, flushed and disheveled, looked confused. "I liked it, though."

Lisa stared at her, unimpressed. The woman was stunning, with curves that would normally have drawn her in like a magnet. On any other day, those moans and the way she squirmed would have lit Lisa on fire. But this wasn't any other day.

"You're not her," Lisa muttered under her breath.

"What?" The woman tilted her head. "I'm Emma, by the way. What's your name?"

"I don't care what your name is," Lisa snapped, adjusting her tie with precise movements. "And you shouldn't want to know mine. This was a distraction for both of us. That's it."

Emma frowned but didn't argue. As she left the stall, Lisa closed her eyes, trying to steady her racing thoughts. The image of the blonde—the one she'd silently nicknamed Angel—flooded her mind. She could see her perfectly: those siren eyes, that enchanting voice, and the way she carried herself with a mix of elegance and naivety. Everything Lisa wasn't.

Shaking her head, Lisa stepped out of the bathroom and forced herself back into the event's stifling atmosphere. She had business to handle, and she wasn't about to let her emotions get in the way.

"Lili!"

The shrill, overly familiar voice grated on Lisa's nerves like nails on a chalkboard. Only one person dared to call her that.

"Tzuyu," Lisa forced a tight smile as the younger woman threw her arms around her.

"I missed you so much!" Tzuyu squealed, stepping back to beam at Lisa. Her neon-red lipstick matched her effervescent personality—loud and unmissable. "I have so much to tell you! Did I mention Daddy's taking me to the Maldives? I bought, like, a hundred bikinis. I'll send you pictures!"

Lisa's eye twitched. Why am I here again?

"How about we save the bikinis for later?" Lisa said with an almost maternal tone, steering Tzuyu toward the point of their meeting. "The documents?"

Tzuyu pouted but gestured for her bodyguards to give them space. Once they retreated, she shoved a folder into Lisa's arms.

"Here," she huffed. "You're no fun, Lili."

Before Lisa could respond, Tzuyu leaned in close, her breath brushing Lisa's ear. "You know," she whispered, "you keep looking at me like you want to make out."

Lisa chuckled darkly. "I assure you, I don't."

"Ugh, whatever." Tzuyu rolled her eyes, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. With a dramatic toss of her violet hair, she spun on her heel and strutted away.

Finally. Lisa tucked the folder under her arm, but her relief was short-lived. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of someone she hadn't expected to see.

Her father.

The man she thought was dead.

Two days later.