The early morning sun streamed through the bedroom window, yet the air in the room felt cold, the weight of the previous night's revelations and the shock of my father's venom still heavy between us.
Jay slept in my room with me and held me tight all night long. He never let go despite my constant shivering and shaking.
"Belinda…you ready for what's going to need to happen today?"
"Yeah."
I'm more angry than I am scared. My father has ruined my life long enough. Yesterday all he did was pull the trigger.
"What about Brian? Does he know about all this?" He asked.
"That's their precious prince who can never do any wrong so no he doesn't. I've always made sure to keep him as far away from my issues with our parents as possible."
His phone rings and it's Liam.
Who is Liam and how does he always know any and everything? I need to meet him because I hate not being able to associate a face to a name.
"Put it on speaker." I asked.
"Hi Belinda, it's good to finally meet you. That guy you got rid of last night was working with your father to push through a massive, illegal rezoning deal in the harbor district. It would have made them both untouchable. He was the key financier and had connections to supply political muscle."
I took the phone, my breathing shallow as I stared at the picture of the man I got rid of last night.
"Chester didn't care about that idiot's life," Liam continued, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "He cares that his main financing source is gone, and the deal has now collapsed. You cost him 2 billion dollars, Bel. When you were 19 a similar deal was in the works before the fires."
"Then the new plan is simple. You know the details of the mess he's in. We're not just going to block his deal, Jackson. We are going to take the entire property out from under him. And we're going to use the money he stole from his investors to do it."
Liam ended the call and sent all the details we need to know.
Jackson reached across the mattress and gently took my coffee mug, setting it down. He didn't move to kiss me, but laid his hand flat against the side of my face, his thumb brushing slowly against my jaw. It was a grounding, intimate gesture, devoid of heat but full of connection.
"I need you focused, Bel," he said, his voice dropping further. "What he said yesterday…that you were a mistake, that he had the right to sell you…that was him trying to break you. Don't let the hate turn into reckless anger."
I leaned into his palm, my eyes finally softening, acknowledging the emotional devastation the night had left. "He can't break me. He just gave me permission to tear down everything he ever built."
"Good," Jackson affirmed, his thumb stroking my skin one last time before he pulled his hand away.
We then take our showers and get dressed for the office. This time he's wearing a suit and heading to his company to sort out a few things. It's interesting seeing him in his true CEO element.
That's good because I think we both need a bit of space to calm down so we can think straight as to how we will deal with Chester.
Jackson's POV
I pulled up to the curb a block away from the corporate headquarters where Chester would be, according to Liam. I hadn't told Belinda I was doing this. I'd watched her leave for her own office, her face a mask of cold, focused determination, and knew she would be consumed with setting our revenge plot in motion. I was heading straight for the source of the rot, Chester Knight.
I'm dressed in an impeccable, charcoal suit—the physical armor of my public life, but my eyes held the savage intensity of the man who had been interrupted on a desk last night. I carried no briefcase, only my phone and the hard drive containing all the proof of Chester's financial abuses.
I found Arthur in his immense corner office, a monument to old money and ego. Chester, looking tired and slightly frazzled, was on the phone, his voice sharp with frustration.
I walked in without knocking. The secretary, a nervous young woman, stammered a protest, but I simply placed a hand on the door and shut it quietly, the click of the latch final and absolute.
Chester hung up instantly, his face twisting into a furious snarl. "Get out of my office, Jackson. I'm busy. Who even let you in here?"
I didn't move past the door. I stood tall, the personification of cold, silent power. "You won't call anyone, Chester. Because the only thing you have left is your reputation, and I'm here to let you know that I own it."
I didn't raise my voice, relying on the sheer force of my presence. "Last night, you spoke about Belinda as a commodity. As a mistake you could give away. You mentioned a dead man and a conspiracy. I want you to listen very carefully."
I then reached into my jacket and pulled out a small, metallic flash drive, tossing it onto Chester's expansive desk. It landed with a surprisingly loud, hard sound.
"That drive contains a complete, time-stamped record of every illegal transfer, every misuse of public funds for the Bliss Towers project, and every interaction you had with the man Bel got rid of regarding your sick plans for Belinda," I stated, my voice a low, steady threat. "Belinda wasn't with Brian yesterday. We were together, and she heard every word you said through that door."
Chester's face went white. The swagger vanished, replaced by genuine, panicked fear. "You're bluffing! That's corporate espionage!"
"No. That's a contingency plan. Belinda and I are going to buy the harbor land out from under you. If you fight the sale, if you move against her firm, or if you even look at her the wrong way again, this entire drive goes to the State Attorney's office and the Chronicle simultaneously. You will lose the Towers, the land, your reputation, and your freedom."
I finally took a step toward the desk, leaning forward until the polished wood was the only barrier between us.
"You have one option. You will accept the offer we make for the harbor land…no negotiation, no fight. And you will never, ever speak her name again. Do you understand, Chester? You've lost your daughter completely, and now you're going to lose your empire."
I waited just long enough for the pure, terrified understanding to settle in Chester's eyes, then turned and walked out, leaving the old man staring at the small, devastating drive on his desk.
I didn't breathe easily until I was back in my car. I'd delivered the threat, but now I had to make sure Belinda didn't deviate from the plan. I had to call her. She needed to know the fight had officially begun and to watch her back.
Taking the legal route of revenge isn't exactly my style but because he's her father, I'd hate for his blood to be on either of our hands. She acts like she wants him gone, but I know she'd never forgive herself if she was actually responsible for his demise.
You know what…I changed my mind.
I headed back into his office and shot him right in the head before he could say a word. I thought dealing with this how Bel would want was something I could do…but I can't.
No one that hurts her deserves to see another day.
Call me psycho if you need, but that's my girl. Anyone that hurts her signs their death wish.