Chapter 265
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Chapter 265:
“You loved an idea of her, Kieran.” Bella stood and walked to the bed. Her expression softened, just slightly. “You didn’t love the woman Jocelyn became. You didn’t even know her p>
She paused, then delivered the truth with quiet precision. “Gaston knows the woman. That’s why he won. He saw her for who she is — not who you wanted her to be p>
Kieran sank back into the pillows.
The truth settled on his chest like a stone. He had lost the best thing that had ever come into his life because he had been too arrogant to look beneath the surface.
His eyes drifted to the television mounted on the wall. It was muted, but the news was playing. A still image from the reception filled the screen — Jocelyn and Gaston. They looked happy. Untouchable. Gaston was looking at her as though she were the only person in the room.
A tear slid down Kieran’s cheek. It stung where it reached the cut on his face.
He had lost. Completely.
And he would have to live with it.
“This is a disaster p>
Robert Schneider roared the words as he slammed a thick leather-bound public relations portfolio onto the center of his mahogany desk. The heavy thud echoed against the wood-paneled walls of the study. His face had gone a dark, mottled purple, and the veins in his neck stood out like thick cords.
𝗧h𝖾 𝘣es𝘵 rе𝖺𝖽𝘪n𝗀 e𝘹𝘱е𝗋іеnc𝖾 𝗈𝘯 g𝘢𝘭ո𝗼𝗏𝗲lѕ.с𝗈m
Aspen sat across from him, biting her thumbnail so hard the cuticle had begun to bleed. Her eyes were red and swollen, but she kept her chin jutted forward, arranging her features into the practiced mask of a victim.
Elouise sat curled in the corner of the leather sofa, her hands trembling as she cradled a porcelain teacup. The tea inside had gone completely cold. She stared at the floor, unable to look at her daughter.
Robert leaned over the desk, planting his fists on the polished wood. He pointed a shaking finger at Aspen.
“Illegal detention. Attempted poisoning. Do you understand what those words mean in a courtroom? Those charges alone are enough to bankrupt this family. The stock is already in freefall. Investors are pulling out. We are bleeding millions by the hour p>
Aspen shot to her feet. Her chair scraped loudly against the hardwood floor.
“I am not going to jail. I refuse. You have to fix this, Dad. My lawyers got me out on bail, but they said the evidence is damning. If I go to jail, it will ruin everything p>
Robert let out a harsh, barking laugh and looked at his daughter with undisguised disgust.
“Everything is already ruined! The Douglas family is drafting the annulment papers as we speak. They are cutting us off like a diseased limb. The only way to save this company is to find a scapegoat — someone who can be made to look like they acted alone on the poisoning p>
Aspen didn’t even blink. She lowered her bleeding thumb from her mouth.
“Chloe p>
The name hung in the air, cold and sharp.