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“Stay behind me, kid,” he barks.
Aria buries her face in Grace's shoulder to block out the view as the confrontation intensifies.
Roger hurls vicious insults while his men warily flank him. Cade stands tense, subtly angling himself as a shield between Aria and their fury. I glimpse her fearful face over Cade's imposing form before Grace pulls her back protectively. I try to get up, but I’m still too weak. I lean back helplessly on the pillows.
Despite being powerfully built, Roger’s men eye Jack and Cade warily, not advancing as the two former SEALs radiate lethal determination. Jack takes an aggressive step toward Roger, barely controlled rage pouring off him. Cade's restraining grip on his shoulder is the only reason fists aren't flying yet.
“Enough, Walsh!” Cade barks, maneuvering in front of Jack. “Back the hell away before this gets any uglier!”
Scowling, Roger points toward my room. “That conniving little tramp won't get away with this!” He spits the threat just as hospital security arrives, taking firm hold of his arms before he does anything to make good on it.
Roger meets my eyes for a split second, before scoffing at me dismissively and turning to leave.
26
BOARDROOM BATTLES
Trying to block out Manhattan's morning chaos streaming outside the towering office windows, I close my eyes, rubbing my neck, still stiff from sleeping in the hospital bedside chair.
Maddie’s sisters went home late on Saturday afternoon to rest, but I stubbornly stayed behind, refusing to leave her side. We didn't talk much. Our conversation was stilted over rounds of Uno. We both avoided mentioning Preston or the shaky ground of our relationship.
The beeping monitors and nurses checking her vitals filled the silence between us. Soon after dinner, exhaustion seemed to take over, and Maddie fell into a deep sleep. I kept guard, reading on my phone, responding to work emails, and absently scrolling through Maddie's TikTok account, watching her signature dance videos on loop.
She was just shy of a hundred thousand followers, the goal she said she was pursuing back in the summer, what now seemed like ages ago. No surprises there. Maddie does catch the eye, making it impossible to look away.
Looking at the phone on her side table, I made a snap decision. Realizing that I had no right doing this without her knowledge, I still grabbed it, held it in front of her sleeping face, and with a few taps, shared her location with my phone.
As unethical as that was, at least I would always know where she is.
At some point during the night, I nodded off, woken by sunrays dancing on my face. Color had returned to her cheeks in the morning, and she was cleared to go home.
Her sisters arrived around ten, toting an overnight bag and a clipboard with discharge instructions. Before long, they were shuffling out, flanking Maddie protectively toward a taxi as I reluctantly trailed behind them.
“We'll take good care of our girl from here,” Grace assured me, squeezing my forearm.
I watched them as they slid across the cracked leather seat of the taxi, Grace already leaning in to give the driver directions. Before folding her tall frame to follow her sisters, Maddie unexpectedly turned in the open door, eyes capturing mine.
My heart tripped as she shrugged off her bag and closed the small space between us in two brisk steps. Standing scant inches away on the busy curb, she slid the diamond off her finger.
“I know it was just pretend, but . . . it felt real at times,” she murmured and pressed the band firmly into my frozen palm, then softly brushed my lips with hers. Her feather-light caress seared through me. She turned gracefully, the waiting car swallowing her without a backward glance.
I nodded mutely, facing the fact that I screwed up royally with my constant hot and cold treatment, her overhearing my argument with my father, to her now being attacked by the son of a prospective business partner.
A big heap of a mess, that’s what this relationship has turned out to be. Giving her some distance is the right thing to do.
Sharp raps followed by heavy footsteps jolt me out of the memory, announcing Walt as he barges into my office. Predictably, his first words lambaste me before the door even finishes swinging shut.
“Explain what the hell happened at that event. Why did Maddie agree to accompany Preston to the back rooms?”
“Walsh’s psychotic spawn slipped a roofie into her drink, that’s why,” I spit angrily.
“And why is your fiancé prancing around the internet half-dressed in the first place?” Walt retorts hotly.
I level an incredulous glare upward, my words spewing fire. “Are you actually suggesting this is somehow her fault?”
Walt crosses his arms, tone biting. “Well, can you blame the boy for getting ideas?”
I sit upright, glaring at him dangerously. “You did not just imply she brought this on herself.”
