Chapter 110
Chapter 110:
“And if the Compton family tries to block the order?” she asked, her voice going cold. She answered her own question before he could. “Then we hit them where it hurts. I will legally strip the Apex Bio patent pool and transfer the intellectual property to an offshore holding company. Cole won’t see a single penny of my future earnings p>
Easton let out a low, appreciative laugh. He turned his head and looked at her — the admiration in his eyes unguarded and complete. She didn’t cry. She didn’t plead. She fought back with ruthless, calculated precision, and something about it ignited a deep, instinctive response in him.
“Mr. Compton has absolutely no idea what kind of force he woke up,” Easton murmured, a dangerous smile at the corner of his mouth.
June stared out through the rain-streaked window. “He owes me,” she said, her voice as cold and even as a blade. “And I am going to use the law to bleed him dry p>
𝗪𝗲 𝘂p𝘥𝘢𝘁е 𝖾𝘷𝗲𝗿у 𝘸𝘦e𝗄 𝗈𝘯
The Range Rover turned into the brightly lit private underground garage of June’s Midtown apartment building and came to a smooth stop. Easton cut the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, and turned his body fully toward her. In the quiet warmth of the cabin, the professional boundary of a lawyer seemed to soften at its edges.
“Whatever you decide to do, June,” he said, his eyes holding hers steadily, “my firm — and I, personally — will be your absolute shield p>
June unbuckled her seatbelt, pushed the heavy armored door of the Range Rover open, and stepped out.
The underground garage was quiet.
Earlier, a car had driven through the storm and parked nearby, leaving a wide, slick puddle spread across the smooth epoxy floor. June’s heel found it before she did. The wet surface offered no traction, and her foot shot forward.
She gasped as her center of gravity disappeared. She fell backward, bracing for the concrete.
Easton moved with terrifying speed.
He had already come around the front of the SUV. He lunged forward, one arm shooting out like a steel band, his large hand catching the curve of her waist. His other hand closed around her elbow, locking her in place.
The sudden stop brought June’s back lightly against Easton’s solid chest. She caught the faint, clean scent of his cologne underneath the smell of rain. His muscles were completely still, holding her weight without effort.
“Careful,” he said, his deep voice close to her ear. “Did you twist your ankle p>
June’s heart gave a quick, startled beat. She engaged her core, stood up straight, and stepped out of his hold. “I am fine,” she said, smoothing her white jacket. “Thank you. The floor is incredibly slippery p>
Easton let his hands fall to his sides and made no move to hold her a moment longer than necessary. He was a perfect gentleman. “Watch your step to the elevator,” he said with a gentle smile.
It was a brief, entirely innocent moment of physical support.
Twenty yards away, parked in the shadows behind a concrete pillar, the tinted window of a dark van had been lowered two inches. A private investigator sat behind the wheel, a professional DSLR camera raised to his eye, a long telephoto lens aimed across the garage floor.
The silent shutter clicked furiously.