I excused myself and stood in the silent sanctuary of the main bathroom, the fluorescent light harsh and unforgiving.
I slowly unbuttoned the remains of my silk blouse, letting the tattered fabric fall to the tiled floor. My body still thrummed with the desperate energy of the foyer, but the heat was fading, replaced by a cold, sickening clarity.
I stepped up to the mirror, tilting my chin up. The sight stole my breath. There, stark against the skin of my neck and throat, were the dark, aggressive marks…the raw evidence of Jackson's need. They weren't just hickies…they were brands of ownership, bruising where his mouth and fingers had pressed, demanding my surrender.
I lifted my hand, my fingers trembling as I traced the contour of the largest bruise. The sting was immediate, an honest pain that cut through the lingering numbness. This was the cost of his "protection," the physical manifestation of whatever he was still keeping from me. I had willingly begged him to take me, but seeing the result…the dark trophies of his desperation…filled me not just with pain, but with a sudden, profound disgust. Disgust at the violence, disgust at my own willing submission, and disgust at the man who had inflicted them. It's completely my fault for allowing it.
He didn't do anything wrong. He did this because he cares about me that's all.
I ran the cold water, splashing my face repeatedly, trying to scrub away the scent of fear and the memory of his savage possession.
Jackson's POV
I stood by the window in the living room, staring out at the garden , my mind already miles away. I picked up my phone, my internal clock screaming at me. I needed confirmation that my immediate, deadly action hadn't been compromised.
The call connected instantly to Tyrone. He hasn't come home yet.
"Report," I ordered, my voice low and tight.
"Alpha team is clean," Tyrone reported, his voice flat and professional. "No witnesses, no camera transfer on the floor. The scene is secure and locked down. We created a temporary environmental seal on the door. It will be hours before anyone gets in without force. The narrative is pointing to a private health emergency."
A wave of grim relief washed over me. I had bought them the crucial time they needed. "Phase Two is green. Initiate disposal."
I hung up, the murder now successfully compartmentalised and sanitised.
I immediately dialed a second number. This one was to Liam. Liam's job was to assess the fallout of the shady business dealings leak and Chester's subsequent, public collapse.
"Liam," I began, urgency spiking my tone. "I need an honest assessment. The Towers deal is dead, Chester is dead but nobody is aware yet…what is the immediate collateral damage? Specifically, is Belinda in any legal or physical harm's way?"
Liam's voice was stressed. "The legal exposure is contained, Jackson. Belinda's firm blocked the rezoning cleanly. Her firm is shielded. But physically? Chester had some deep, ugly ties man…we're talking criminal connections on the Russian mob side. With Chester suddenly going silent while his assets are collapsing, those people are going to be asking questions. They won't go after him; they'll go after the person who delivered the final financial blow."
I felt a familiar, protective rage ignite in my chest. "Belinda," I summarised. She published that article today about her father's company before I killed him.
"Yes. She's the highest-profile threat, and the easiest to track. You need to keep her locked down, Jackson. The minute she leaves the house, she's a target."
I hung up, the confirmation a cold spike of fear in my gut. My violent act had secured her financial future and removed the monster, but it had simultaneously elevated Belinda to the status of a dangerous, visible enemy to people far worse than Chester.
I walked toward the bathroom, my focus hardening. I had to finish the corporate takeover now. I had to turn her into the most powerful woman in the city…her best defense. She doesn't need to run for mayor anymore.Brian can do that if he'd like.
I found Belinda staring into the mirror, her expression a mask of cold disgust, gently touching the bruises I had left on her neck.
I didn't apologise. I simply looked at the marks…the proof of my protective, violent desperation…and knew they were necessary. I had to convince her that the only thing strong enough to guard her was my control.
Belinda's POV
As soon as I notice him looking at me, I simply smile at him and close the door.
I need to take a piping hot shower. Unless my skin turns red, the water isn't hot enough.
As I'm taking my boiling shower, I hear voices I'm unfamiliar with. As soon as I'm done, I wrap myself in a towel and open the door.
He was standing right by the door as if he was waiting for me to emerge. "Hey…" he greeted, his fingers trailing my neck gently.
I ignored his touch, stepping back to deny him any intimate control. "I don't know those voices. And those men are talking about me like I'm a high-value asset, not a client."
"You were just proving your claim to my space. Now explain your claim to my security without discussing with me first Jay. What's this I heard about a 'clean sweep'?"
Jackson's POV
My expression tightened, but I didn't falter. I knew I had to sell a compelling crisis. A crisis that centered on Chester, whom my sweet Bel believed was simply keeping his distance.
"This is about the merger next week," I said, lowering my voice to a conspiratorial, urgent whisper. "It's not just a hostile takeover, Bel. Chester is pulling the entire deal off the table, and he's doing it in person, off-grid, with extreme prejudice."
I moved closer, my gaze desperate and intense, trying to make her feel the weight of the lie. "He's not answering his satellite line, and his intelligence reports are terrifying. This is the biggest shakeup the market has seen in a decade, and the rivals…the people we are cutting out…they're furious. They know you are his weakness, his most critical vulnerability."
I reached out and gently took her chin, forcing her to hold my gaze. "He is making himself unreachable for the next week until the deal is done. But you, Bel, you are his insurance policy. If they get to you, they stop the deal, and they eliminate him financially. The men you heard are an emergency black-ops unit from my best subsidiary. They are here because the people looking for you are not looking to talk…they are looking to send a message to your father."
No it's to send a message to me…by now I know everyone and their grandma in our world knows that she's my girl.
I paused, letting the fear of her father's potential jeopardy sink in. "I am protecting the woman I care about, and I am protecting your future gain from Chester. If you call those men out, you compromise the entire operation, and you put your father at risk. Please, trust my judgment on this. Get dressed. I'll give you a sanitized breakdown of their surveillance grid in ten minutes."
I can't have them accidentally telling her the truth. I know I look like the bad guy right now but I will tell her I swear, I just need her to focus first on what we're trying to do.
She'll understand…right?
She stared at me, her mind rapidly dissecting my explanation. The merger. The rivals. Chester going off-grid. It all aligned with her father's MO, but the extreme nature of the security felt excessive even for me.
The accusation about her father's danger, however, hit its mark. Her commitment to her father's business was absolute.
She pulled her chin from my grasp, the marks on her neck a silent, painful irony. "Ten minutes," she confirmed, her voice now dangerously calm. "And Jay, the sanitized breakdown better align perfectly with the tactical jargon I just heard. Because if I find one flaw in your narrative, I will assume you are the threat, and I will handle you accordingly."
She turned on her heel and walked into the bedroom, closing the door. The sound of the lock clicking was a clear warning.
I stood motionless, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I had successfully deflected the questions about the murder and the new security. But I knew I'd only bought myself minutes. I had to create a fake rival, a believable threat, before she starts pulling on the threads of Chester's "off-grid" status. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.
I needed to shift the blame immediately. I had to give her a target.
"Activate the 'Shadow Man' file. Feed everything we have on the old East Coast consortium leader to her personal terminal. Make it look like they've been tracking her since yesterday."
"Got it"Liam replied.