Chapter 9 #2
I try to ignore the deceit and reach for the only leverage I have. “I’ll be at the doctor’s appointment tomorrow. Plan on getting the paternity test at that time.”
Isabella smiles like she won a jackpot. “I knew you’d come around. I’ll send you all the details once I get back to California this afternoon.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. The test will prove once and for all that I’m not the father of your baby.”
She shrugs. “We’ll see.”
I brush beside her and leave. I’m more than sick to my stomach, so I go straight home. Anything I do will only make matters worse, and at this point, I’m a shattered shell of a man.
Jonah agrees to let me tell Dorothy about the board’s decision. She’ll still have to go through the technicality of her termination, but at least she won’t be blindsided .
I roll my eyes at that thought. She’s going to be blindsided no matter what. There’s no softening the blow.
I knock on her door and glance down the hall, waiting for the grim reaper to show his face. He’s coming for my relationship with her, so I know he’s around here somewhere.
Her security team is stationed outside her loft, but they won’t tell me anything since she only agreed to let them be assigned to her if I had no connection to them.
They report to her and no one else. I just foot the bill, which is fine because at least I know she’s safe.
Her door opens, and she comes into view as she widens the opening to her loft.
“Beauty, it’s nice to see you left the hospital.”
“Thanks for coming over.” She steps aside to show me in.
“It’s good to know you got some sleep.” I go inside and lean down to plant a kiss on her lips.
She turns her head so my mouth lands on her cheek. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. I had convinced myself she did that in front of Jamison to spare him of his feelings.
It was a futile attempt to talk myself out of thinking they’ve been together all this time. Now I know my fate is sealed, and I get pulled into the dark abyss that consumes my heart.
I put my jealousy aside and focus on what I’m here to do. She’s going to be devastated, and I’m dreading every moment of this.
I take off my jacket. “How’s Jamison doing?”
“He’s getting stronger by the hour. He doesn’t stay awake long, but he has security watching him now. Thank you for settling that up. I was able to come home, rest, and shower because of your help.”
“You’re welcome. You know I’d do anything for you.”
She nods and lowers her head. She’s wearing a cozy-looking pajama set with slippers, telling me she plans on staying in .
It’s of little consolation. I still lose her tonight. As much as that crushes me, I know it’s coming, and I don’t know how to stop it.
She moves to her couch and pushes into the corner. “Have you found out anything about who could’ve done this to him?”
A stab of agony, sharp and sudden like a knife twisting in my chest, claws into my rib cage.
I go and sit beside her, longing for one more night with her. “Nothing yet. I meant to speak with Ava and my dad today, but things didn’t go as planned.”
“That doesn’t sound good. What happened?”
I glance down and reach for her hand. My chest tightens, waiting for another rejection from her, but she places her hand in mine.
With my eyes shut, I savor the sensation of her skin touching mine. I file it away into my memory.
“Hunter, what’s this about? What’s going on with you?”
I raise my head and peer into her eyes. “We had the emergency board meeting today.”
“And...”
I exhale a heavy breath. “I don’t know how to break this to you, so I’m going to come out with it. Someone submitted pictures of us together. Not only that, but they had photos of you and Jamison together. It didn’t come off well.”
Her face drains of color. “What are you saying?”
“The board terminated your contract. When you go in tomorrow, Jonah will meet you at the front doors and gather any company belongings from you.”
“Oh my god. This can’t be happening.”
“You won’t be allowed on the floors and have no access to anything as of five o’clock this evening.” My head gets light just saying these words out loud.
She pushes off the couch and paces before me. “But I thought we had your dad in our corner.”
“That was when he didn’t know about your involvement with Jamison. When your relationship with him was made clear, there was no way my dad could defend you.”
“What relationship with Jami was made clear?”
“There was a picture of you two at the launch holding hands while walking into the closet. It didn’t look good. If anything, it looked terrible since they had pictures of us together as well.”
She stops and stares down at me. “But we weren’t in a relationship. You know that.”
I soften my stance. “But you share a past, and you were with him when he was shot. How was I supposed to explain that to the board?”
“I don’t know, but I’m not trying to take the company down. You have to believe me.”
“I know that, but it looks suspicious. The photos are damaging.”
She runs her hands down her face. “This couldn’t be happening at a worse time.”
My heart aches as I rest on my legs, staring at the worn, patterned floor. “I’m sorry, Dorothy. There was nothing I could do.”
“You didn’t try to get them to understand?” She pulls in a sharp inhale. “And you didn’t defend me?”
“Jonah tried.”
“But you didn’t?”
I lift my head and find her panicked gaze. “Nobody was going to listen to me. They had pictures that proved how involved I am with you. Nothing I could’ve said would’ve helped your cause.”
Locked in each other’s gaze, we spin, helpless in a chaotic world—one where neither of us understands the rules.
Despair drips off her. “I can’t believe this. First, someone tried to kill me but shot Jami instead, and now they caused me to lose my job. When does it stop, Hunter? What does she want from me?”