Chapter 186
Chapter 186:
“Because you vomited all over yourself,” Vera cut in, her tone flat and merciless. “Room service stripped you and put you in the shower so you wouldn’t suffocate in your own stench while in my vicinity. My coat is currently being aggressively dry-cleaned p>
Julian wished sincerely for the floor to open beneath him.
He had drunk himself into oblivion to protect Crawford. He had been threatened by Cole. And now he had physically assaulted a Vogue editor with the contents of his stomach and then propositioned her to her face.
He was, without question, the most pathetic man in Manhattan.
Vera drew a folded piece of paper from the pocket of her robe and slapped it onto his chest.
“That is the dry-cleaning bill and the full retail price of the coat you destroyed,” she said, turning on her heel. “Wire the money immediately. And if you ever see me on the street, cross to the other side p>
She walked into the bathroom and slammed the door hard enough to rattle the walls.
At ten o’clock that morning, Cole walked into the vast glass lobby of the Love Group headquarters, flanked by three senior lawyers from the Compton legal team. They were there to sign the venture capital agreement between the two empires.
But Cole had a secondary motive. He wanted to look Crawford in the eye — to determine whether his oldest friend was genuinely making a move on his wife, or whether the jealousy he had felt at the gala was nothing more than paranoia.
He approached the marble reception desk. The head receptionist looked up and immediately paled.
𝘕𝗲𝗐 𝘄е𝘦k𝗹𝗒 с𝗵a𝗽𝘵𝘦r𝗌 𝘰𝗇
“Mr. Compton. We weren’t expecting you p>
“I’m here to see Crawford,” Cole said, his voice flat and commanding.
The receptionist swallowed. “I’m so sorry, sir. Mr. Love canceled all his morning meetings. He is currently out of the building p>
Cole frowned. Crawford was a notorious workaholic. He never canceled meetings.
“Where is he p>
The receptionist hesitated under the weight of Cole’s stare. “He went to conduct a site visit. At Apex Bio p>
The words landed like a jolt of electricity.
June’s company.
Cole’s heart slammed against his ribs. The toxic jealousy he had felt at the gala came flooding back, burning through him all over again.
He turned to his lead lawyer. “Handle the paperwork.” He didn’t wait for a response.
He turned and walked out through the revolving doors. His phone buzzed as he pushed through — Alycia. He answered, his tone clipped. “I have something urgent. Don’t wait up.” He was already opening the car door when the Bluetooth connected automatically, and a crisp electronic voice filled the cabin: “Calculating route to Apex Bio p>
On the other end of the line, Alycia heard the destination in the fraction of a second before Cole disconnected. A dark, vicious suspicion took root in her chest. She grabbed her coat and called her private driver.
Cole dropped into his black Aston Martin, slammed the accelerator, and tore through Manhattan traffic.
Twenty minutes later, he pulled to a stop in a shadowed alley directly across the street from the Apex Bio building. He killed the engine. He lowered the tinted window just enough to see the front entrance.