Chapter 13 - The Shield
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When the screaming finally stopped, James turned back to me. The terrifying, ruthless CEO vanished entirely.
He crossed the room, dropping to his knees on the concrete floor right in front of my chair. He reached out, his large hands gently wiping the tears from my cheeks.
“I am so sorry you had to go through that,” James whispered, his dark eyes filled with profound, protective agony. “I suspected she was planning something, but I didn't think she would sink to framing you for a felony. I should have fired her weeks ago.”
“You set a trap for her,” I said, my voice shaky but filled with an overwhelming, intoxicating sense of relief. “You believed me before you even checked the cameras.”
“I will always believe you, Grace,” he vowed, resting his forehead against mine, his breath warm against my skin. “You are the only real thing in this entire, counterfeit empire I have built.”
He stood up, pulling me gently to my feet, and wrapped his arms around me in a crushing, desperate hug. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling the scent of cedar and expensive cologne, feeling absolutely, undeniably safe for the first time in my adult life.
The gala that weekend was a massive success. Without Vanessa’s toxic interference, I managed the event flawlessly. But the peace we had finally secured was fragile, and the past is never truly buried.
A month later, the first snow of February was falling over Seattle.
I had just walked Chloe to the heavy iron gates of the estate to put her on the private school bus. The bus pulled away, and I turned around to walk back up the long, winding driveway toward the mansion.
A man stepped out from the shadows of the massive stone pillars.
My blood turned to ice in my veins. My heart stopped dead in my chest.
He looked older, his face gaunt and weathered, wearing a filthy, oversized coat. He smelled heavily of cheap liquor and stale smoke.
It was Mark. Chloe’s father.
“Well, well, well,” Mark slurred, a malicious, greedy smile spreading across his cracked lips. “Look at you, Gracie. Living in a damn castle while I’ve been freezing on the streets.”
“How did you find me?” I choked out, backing away slowly, sheer terror paralyzing my limbs.
“It’s not hard to track down a ghost when her face ends up in the background of a society magazine,” Mark sneered, pulling a crumpled tabloid from his pocket. It was a photo of James at the recent gala, and I was visible in the background, directing the catering staff.
May you like
He took a menacing step toward me, his eyes darting toward the massive mansion behind me.
“I hear the guy you’re working for is a billionaire,” Mark said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, extorting whisper. “I think it’s time he paid a little child support for my kid. Don't you think?”
