Contract Marriage with My CEO Boss (Kylan and Katrina)
Chapter 78

Chapter 78

"She was. She was. Her life was taken from her, while I was at work. While I wasn't. Wasn't there to protect her."

Kylan cleared his throat again, dipping his head so that his bangs concealed part of his face.

Katrina said nothing. Did nothing, though her heart was breaking for him.

"No possible witnesses gave a shit, not in that neighborhood. I found her body a few hours after she was already. Gone. The police didn't give a

ck, they never gave a f*ck about prostitutes or that side of town. The only one who did was.. Ryan. He gave a damn about those like us. He tried to replace the perpetrator. He tried to help. But with the police force not behind him after only a few days of pretending to replace the f*cker who did it, it was practically useless. After that though, he checked in on me every now and then. He let me off with a warning, more times than I deserved when I went downhill"

Kylan laughed bitterly, shaking his head

"Crazy Pcker," he said it with fondness, she noted despite her discomfort with his choice of words. "He tried his best when I started getting into fights and shit. My uh. Friends... they also tried. But I fell off the deep end. I started drinking more heavily. I stopped giving a shit. If I hadn't already graduated a few months before she died. I would have no doubt dropped out of school too."

"When Keith stepped in and moved me to New York, my friends moved with me. I slowly got better, I guess. Picked me up off the ground enough, anyway. When I moved here, I realized how many neighborhoods there are like the one I lived in at home. I realized how little the police force gave a... a damn about those people, he glanced at Katrina who smiled in encouragement and gratefulness at him, "even though they are the ones who need the protection the most. I uh, came up with the idea for Ross Corporation about five years later, when my ass was a linle more put together, and approached Ryan about it first. He helped me perfect the idea of the stealth drone, of the cameras. He helped get our foot in the door with different police departments through his connections. And then he also moved to New York, and we approached my uncle about the concept. If it weren't for Kenny's belief in us, we wouldn't have Ross Corp. He was our angel investor, as you know, and that's when Ross Corporation took

Kylan ran his hands through his hair a few times, and she noticed they were trembling. "They never found my mother's killer. We buried her in New York so that she could be close to Keith, specifically. They were. They were good friends. Her and her brother." His knee was bouncing ever so slightly, and she physically had to sit on her hands to prevent herself from reaching our to touch him.

"Anyway, that uh.. You know. That's the story of my mother. Of how and why I agreed to be the CEO of Ross Corporation, even though I didn't want to. I never wanted my face in the news, my life in the news. But Ryan is better with numbers, Keith only wanted to be a silent partner, and that left me to be the face of the company, for all the good it did." He laughed without any humor.

"Kylan, it It has done a lot of good. Do you know how much lower crime rates are in the areas where you have drones circling in the sky? Do you know how revered your technology is How many terrible acts have been solved because of you?" she spoke earnestly, trying to will him to believe her. To trust her words. She was being honest, entirely honest.

"But I couldn't save my own mother. I couldn't prevent her from being taken from me. I mean you know, from the world" Kylan's voice was shaking and Katrina bit her inner cheek. She hated not touching him, but she didn't know if he even wanted that from her. -That wasn't her fault. None of it was. It wasn't your fault, either. Her profession or a different one, it still wouldn't have been your fault. There was no way you could have ever anticipated something like that happening. You didn't know, Kylan. You simply didn't know. You were a kid. Eighteen years old. I am so sorry that happened to you, and to your mother especially. I am so sorry the person responsible was never found. I can't imagine what that must feel like" She scooted a bit closer to him, still not touching him, but he didn't move further away from her.

Kylan cleared his throat again, taking another deep breath too. "Anyway, that's half of what makes me a monster." His shoulders visibly tensed, his knee bouncing more vigorously. "Tuh, don't know how to talk about the other half, he admitted quietly, so quietly, she only just barely heard ham

p to the

"If this is too much for you, we can stop here for today. I'm incredibly grateful you opened up at him, if only so that he could see how sincere she was being.

e at all." She wanted to look at him, to really look

"No, L.. I want to tell you. I need to tell you. I just... give me a second." He stood from his spot on the couch, walking to pace in front of the expansive window in much the same fashion as he did at work.

She couldn't hold herself back any longer. She stood from her spot too and stepped in front of him, taking him by the shoulders gently. She waited to see if he would move away, but instead, he just looked at her.

And his eyes. God, his eyes. They were so sad. So entirely full of sorrow she couldn't begin to comprehend