Badass in Disguise (Shadow) novel Chapter 183

Badass in Disguise

Chapter 183

Author’s POV:

The One:1 growled to a stop in front of Jade’s house, and she cut the engine. The suburban silence that followed was almost jarring after the roar of the hypercar. Night hadn’t spoken since they turned onto her street, his eyes fixed on the two–story building she called home.

“Darling,” he finally said, his accent thickening with disbelief, “please don’t tell me you actually live in this… place?”

Jade glanced at the overgrown lawn.

“What’s wrong with it?” she asked, though she knew exactly what he was thinking.

Night gestured dramatically at the house. “I gave you a black card with no limit. No. Limit. And you’re wearing that garbage watch and living in this…” he paused, searching for the right word, “dump.”

Jade got out of the car, slamming the door harder than necessary. The sound echoed through the quiet neighborhood, making a stray cat dart across the yard.

Night followed, still ranting as his Italian leather shoes crunched on the gravel driveway. “Did Chris Jensen stay here

too when he visited? In this architectural tragedy?”

“Mmm,” Jade replied noncommittally, fishing her keys from her pocket.

“You’re certain you didn’t take him somewhere decent?” Night pressed, catching up to her on the porch. “A five–star

hotel? A penthouse? Or…”

Jade turned to face him, irritation bubbling beneath her calm exterior. Her cold eyes met his. “Are you coming in or

not? If not, you can sleep in the car.”

Night’s face broke into a smile, his eyes softening. “Of course I’m coming in. I’d sleep in a cardboard box and eat fast food every day if it meant being with you.”

The lock clicked, and Jade pushed the door open, flicking on lights as she entered. Night followed, his designer shoes looking absurdly out of place on the cheap carpet.

“Upstairs or downstairs?” Jade asked flatly, dropping her keys on the hall table.

Night’s expression turned hopeful, brightening his handsome Slavic features, “Preferably in the same room as you. I’ll take the floor, couch, whatever you want.”

She gave him a cold look that would have sent most men running. ‘Disposing of bodies here is slightly inconvenient, but not impossible.”

8:18 Thu, Sep 25

Chapter 183

:

Night spread his arms wide, smile never faltering. “I’m yours to do with as you please.”

Later that night, Jade heard Night’s animated voice from the living room. She moved silently down the hallway, staying in the shadows as she approached. Years of training had made her footsteps imperceptible, a ghost in her own home.

97

“-her place is like something from a horror movie,” Night was saying, his laptop screen illuminating his face in the softly lit room. A small table lamp cast warm shadows across the walls while his golden curls caught the mixed light, creating an almost ethereal glow around his head.

Chris Jensen’s voice came through the speakers. “Do you know who she wanted that watch for?”

Night’s posture straightened, pride and arrogance radiating from him. “I know. Met him today. Pathetic competition.”

“Interesting,” Chris replied thoughtfully. “He must be serious about her. When I met him recently, he kept his composure remarkably well.”

“He wouldn’t dare,” Night scoffed, his accent growing thicker with his irritation.

Jade reached for the table lamp’s switch and flipped it off, plunging the room into darkness except for the blue glow of the laptop screen. Night let out a startled yelp that quickly morphed into nervous laughter.

“Jesus, baby, how do you walk so silently?” He fumbled to turn on his phone flashlight. “Were you trying to give me a

heart attack?”

“If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have the chance to scream,” Jade said simply, her silhouette barely visible in the doorway, now illuminated only by the laptop’s glow.

The next morning, Chase’s excited voice carried across the Princeton parking lot as he honked repeatedly at the sleek hypercar pulling into a reserved space. His face fell comically when a tall man with golden curls stepped out instead of Jade,

Night glanced at Chase with mild annoyance before striding toward the Computer Science building, his camel hair coat billowing behind him. Students stopped mid–conversation as he passed, phones raised to capture the stranger who looked like European royalty dropped into their mundane campus.

Within minutes, the university forum exploded with posts and comments:

“Who’s the prince that just arrived in a Koenigsegg???”

“That watch he’s wearing could probably pay my entire tuition.”

“Did you see his HAIR? It’s like a golden lion’s mane but BETTER.”

2/4

8:18 Thu, Sep 25

Chapter 183

By evening, the Halloween party at Princeton’s main hall was in full swing. Orange and black decorations hung from the ceiling, fake cobwebs draped across corners, and plastic skeletons guarded the punch bowl. When Night and Jade walked in together, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. Night’s hand rested possessively on her shoulder, his fingers idly playing with a strand of her hair.

The whispers followed them around the room like persistent shadows:

“First Haxton, now this guy? Morgan’s got a type–rich and gorgeous.”

“The eternal Morgan goddess and her revolving door of hot men.”

Night pulled Jade toward a quieter corner, away from the pulsing music and Halloween decorations. “This place is suffocating.” His eyes searched hers. “When are you coming back to Russia with me?”

“I like being a student for now,” she replied. “After we deal with the Shadow Organization, we’ll see.”

Night’s face fell into an exaggerated pout. “And what about me in the meantime?”

Jade glanced at him, deadpan. “You’re a bit old for college, but if you’re not embarrassed, I could ask the president to add a desk for you.”

His eyes lit up. “I love when you threaten people and when you say absurd things with a straight face.”

“I prefer myself with a knife,” she replied flatly.

“I love that too,” he said without missing a beat.

Chase appeared beside them, his Halloween costume–some superhero neither recognized–slightly askew. “I saw someone driving your car today,” he said to Jade. “Did someone steal it?”

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