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Chapter 423
Chapter 423:
He knew that if he walked through that door and saw her face, his control would shatter instantly. He would not be able to stop himself from reaching for her.
Crawford’s hand was wrapped around a heavy crystal glass of neat whiskey, his knuckles bone-white.
He could hear the faint, muffled sound of her voice through the glass. She was speaking calmly, analyzing the data with that brilliant, surgical precision that consumed him. Every syllable felt like a razor blade dragged across his chest.
Every instinct he had was screaming at him to kick the door open. To claim what was his.
But he remained rooted to the floor. He was a man of his word — even when keeping it felt like it was tearing him apart from the inside.
𝖳𝗵𝗼𝘶𝘴𝗮n𝖽s o𝖿 𝗿𝖾𝖺𝖽е𝗋𝘀 𝗈𝗇
Inside the conference room, the meeting was seamless.
Acting on Crawford’s strict prior instructions, the assistant agreed to every one of Apex Bio’s requests without hesitation. The Love Group would deploy its full media apparatus to ensure the data fluctuation was managed without incident.
“Thank you,” June said, rising and shaking the assistant’s hand. “We appreciate the rapid response p>
She walked out of the conference room, passing directly by Crawford’s office door, entirely unaware of the violent emotional storm raging just inches away.
She stepped into the elevator, her mind already back in the lab.
The moment the elevator doors closed, Crawford’s office door opened.
His assistant stepped inside and took in Crawford’s rigid back.
“Boss,” the assistant said quietly. “They are gone. We gave them everything they asked for p>
Crawford did not turn around. His eyes stayed fixed on the empty chair behind the frosted glass.
“How did she look?” Crawford rasped. His voice was stripped of its usual smooth authority, rough at the edges.
“She looked focused, sir,” the assistant replied. “Very strong p>
Crawford closed his eyes.
He lifted the crystal glass and drained the whiskey in one long, burning swallow. The alcohol scorched his throat and did absolutely nothing to dull the suffocating ache in his chest.
June and Brogan walked out of the towering glass lobby of the Love Group headquarters.
The crisp New York air hit June’s face. She felt a deep sense of accomplishment. The crisis was managed.
Brogan stepped forward and opened the door of his waiting SUV. He offered her a small, reassuring smile. They climbed in and headed back to the lab, completely oblivious to the media explosion currently detonating across the city.
Three miles south, in the heart of the Financial District, the atmosphere inside the Compton Family Office was another world entirely.
The office was a fortress of old money — dark mahogany walls, antique oil paintings, absolute silence.
Eleanor Compton sat behind her massive desk, eyes fixed on the glowing screen of her Bloomberg Terminal as she reviewed the quarterly yields of the family’s offshore trusts.
A bright red news alert flashed across the bottom right corner of the screen.
The Bloomberg aggregator had picked up the Page Six exclusive.
Eleanor’s eyes dropped to it. She read the bold headline.
EXCLUSIVE: Wall Street Prince Cole Compton Expecting Heir.
Her hand froze on the mouse.