“This is the beginning of your end.” Gabrielle shakes and presses her back more firmly into the wall. Jackson’s rage terrifies her, and she has no idea what he might do if he sees her spying on him. She chews the inside of her lip and slowly peeks around the door again.
“The Bamford are very strong,” Mrs. Meyer says with a sob.
“I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do.” “We can attack Waylen in secret,” Jackson says.
“Besides, he has a very obvious weakness: Leilani.” Something hard slams into Gabrielle’s back. Gabrielle jumps, and there’s a loud crashing sound. A tray full of saline and needles goes clattering to the floor, and the nurse who dropped the tray glares at Gabrielle. Jackson’s head whipped around, and his eyes flash as he sees Gabrielle. She turns on her heel and sprints down the long corridor. She hears Jackson running behind her, and she pushes herself to go even faster, but she’s no match for his long legs.
“Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?” Jackson asks, grabbing her arm.
“I didn’t mean to,” Gabrielle says.
“I was just passing through the corridor, and then I saw you and didn’t want to interrupt.” “What did you hear?” Jackson asks, glaring down at her.
“Nothing at all,” Gabrielle says.
“I just heard my older sister’s name. I swear that’s it.” Jackson twists her arm and says, “I don’t believe you.” “I swear, I didn’t hear anything,” Gabrielle says.
“Well, actually, it sounded like you wanted to hurt my sister. You wouldn’t dare, would you?” “Do you want to bet on that?” Jackson asks, narrowing his eyes at her.
“I’m warning you if you dare to hurt my sister I’ll—I’ll.” “You’ll what?” Jackson asks with a sneer.
“Well, Waylen will protect her,” Gabrielle says lamely, wishing she could think of a real threat. Jackson laughs and lets go of her arm. She rubs the skin and wonders if his fingers leave bruises. As she turns to go, she hears a nurse shouting her name.
“Oh, there you are, Miss Peters, I swear I’ve been trying to find you for at least half an hour,” the nurse says.
“I have your test results here.” Gabrielle grabbed the papers and quickly folds them in half. She tries to stuff them into her pocket, but Jackson snatches her arm back and pries her fingers open. He looks at the paper and squints with confusion. The nurse tries to grab the papers away from him, but he winks at her, and she blushes. Gabrielle wants to smack both of them.
“I don’t understand what this paper means,” Jackson says.
“Would you mind explaining it to me?” “Oh, um, well, it’s supposed to be confidential,” the nurse stammers.
“Oh, Gabrielle and I are old friends,” Jackson says with another wink.
“You can tell me, and I promise I can keep a secret.” “It’s Miss Peters pregnancy test,” the nurse says.
“Pregnancy test?” Jackson asks, his face paling.
“What are the results? Is she pregnant?” “No, she’s not,” the nurse says. Gabrielle let out a relieved sigh. Her period is a few days late, and she’s been terrified she’s pregnant with Jackson’s child. She reaches for the results, but Jackson tears the paper into shreds and throws it like confetti.
“Congratulations,” he says mockingly.
“Do you want to make a deal with me now?” Gabrielle looks nervously at Jackson—something about the way he says the word “deal” makes her skin crawl. It sounds slimy and gross coming out of his mouth. She knows she should run away, but her curiosity gets the better of her—it could have something to do with Leilani, after all.
“What kind of deal?” she asks.
“A s.e.x.u.a.l transaction,” Jackson says, raising one perfect eyebrow. Gabrielle almost chokes on her own spit. Between coughs, she asks, “Are you kidding me?” Jackson reaches out to grab her arm. Instead of hurting her, he raises her bare wrist to his lips and gently licks the tender skin. His rough tongue sends shivers down her spine, but she jerked her hand away.
“You disgust me,” she says.
“You think I’d want to sleep with you after everything you did to me? You’re sick. Besides, you heard me at The Palm House—you’re a terrible lover, you’re not even worth $100.” Jackson’s face twists angrily, and his eyes cloud over, “You know, that little show you put on at the club has become a hot gossip topic. All my friends have started calling me One Hundred Oliver because of you. But what if it was the other way around? I’ll give you $100 every time we’re together—more if you really impress me.” Gabrielle is furious, but she throws her head back and laughs. Men like Jackson don’t mind being called nasty names, but they hate being laughed at. She laughs and laughs until he tightly grabs her wrist.
“I’m not strapped for cash,” she said with a smile.
“Do you want your older sister to get hurt?” Jackson asks.
“Of course not,” Gabrielle says, feeling her face get hot with anger.
“If you don’t want that to happen, you’d better behave yourself,” Jackson says. Gabrielle twists her arm and jerks her wrist free from Jackson’s fingers. She lifts her knee and slams it into his crotch, and he doubles over in pain. She kicks his shin as hard as she can and runs toward the elevators, listening to him scream curses and threats. She jams her finger into the elevator button and breathes a sigh of relief as the doors finally slide closed. She grabs her phone and types a warning message to Leilani. Gabrielle knows that Waylen and his bodyguards try to protect Leilani, but they seem to fail more often than they succeed. In the last few months, Leilani has been in too many dangerous situations. I can’t bear to see her get hurt again, Gabrielle thinks. “Mr. Bamford, I have some good news,” a servant says.
“Mrs. Bamford has started eating again.” Waylen smiles and races down the hall to Leilani’s bedroom. Does this mean she’s finally forgiven me? He wonders. He throws the door open and sees Leilani sitting in the center of the bed. She’s leaning back against the headboard, and she’s as still as stone. She barely even glances at him as he enters. Okay, so she’s still mad, he thinks. That’s okay, though. As long as she’s started eating again—there’s hope. She’s been practically comatose for ages, refusing to get up or eat anything. If she’s started eating again, it means she’s worried about the baby. I can work with that. Waylen paces the room throwing nervous glances at Leilani, but she doesn’t seem to notice him. The calmer she seems, the more worried he gets. He balls his hands into fists and stomps over to her bed.
“Leilani, it’s time you stopped acting so goddamn childish,” he says coldly.
“It’s one thing to be angry with me, but I won’t stand by and watch you destroy yourself and our child.” Leilani’s lip twitches, but she remains silent and still. Waylen lowers his voice and leans in closer. He hates himself for what he’s about to say, but he’s willing to try anything to get her attention.
“What about your sister?” he asks.
“You clearly don’t care about yourself or me or our child, but what about Gabrielle? Don’t force me to do something to her. I swore that I wouldn’t hurt anyone around you anymore, but you can’t treat me this way.
” Leilani opens her mouth and then snaps it shut. Waylen can see the hurt and betrayal in her eyes, and it makes him sick to his stomach. He wants to stroke her angry face and kisses the frown off her lips. He wants to throw himself on his knees and apologize until he loses his voice. Instead, he frowns down at her.
“Say something,” Waylen demands. Leilani grabs her phone and taps out a quick message. She hits send, and Waylen’s phone buzzes immediately. He pulls it from his pocket and reads the message: Take responsibility and make things right, and then I’ll think about speaking to you. Waylen kicks the bottom of the nightstand.
“Shit, Leilani,” he says.
“Why are you always so stubborn?” Leilani ignores him and continues to look at her phone. Suddenly her eyes widen with fear. She frowns and quickly puts the phone away. Waylen fights the urge to grab the phone and read the message. He wants to know what scared her, but he can’t risk making her even angrier.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“Leilani, please tell me. I’m worried about you.” Before he can ask again, Robert rushes into the room. The butler’s face is red and sweaty, and he looks impatiently between Waylen and Leilani. Waylen ignores him, but Robert crosses the room and clears his throat.
“Sir, I have news,” Robert says.
“The Meyer family—” “Not here,” Waylen snaps with a quick glance at Leilani. He’s not sure if he imagines it or if she seems to be listening more closely than before. He grabs Robert by his collar and drags him down the hall and into his study. He closes the door firmly behind them and then turns to face Robert.
“What about the Meyer family?” Waylen asks.
“Well, as you know, Charles Meyer is still alive,” Robert says.
“That is, he’s alive for now, but he’s constantly on the verge of death. The doctors don’t think he’ll live more than 17 months—and they’re not even sure he’ll make it that long.” “Yes, and?” Waylen asks impatiently.
“Well, Charles might survive if his heart can be put back into his body, but that’s almost impossible,” Robert says.
“I’m not sure how, but somehow Andrew Clifford has his heart.” Waylen frowns and wonders if Leilani knows. He thinks about the incident in the lingerie store: he pointed his gun at Andrew’s chest, and Leilani threw herself between him and Andrew. Is that why she was so protective of him? Waylen wonders. But if she knew that Andrew had Charles’ heart, why didn’t she know that I shot Charles? It doesn’t make sense. “The Meyer family seems ready to start a war against us, but I think they’d reconsider if we found a way to save Charles’ life,” Robert says.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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