Chapter 375
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Chapter 375:
Thirty minutes earlier. Washington, D.C.
The grand ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton was packed with the most powerful political donors in the country. Senator Justin Collins stood near the podium, nursing a glass of sparkling water, ten minutes away from delivering the keynote speech that would secure his next campaign cycle.
His Chief of Staff, Leo, pushed through the crowd of billionaires looking pale.
Leo stepped close to Justin and leaned in to whisper directly into his ear. “Sir. The detail we left in New York just called. Mr. Golden was in a severe car crash. He is in critical condition at Mount Sinai p>
Justin’s hand tightened around his glass. The charming political smile vanished from his face instantly, replaced by a mask of cold, predatory focus.
He set the glass down onto a passing waiter’s tray.
“Get the helicopter ready,” Justin ordered, his voice a low, dangerous growl. He reached up and yanked his silk tie loose.
Leo’s eyes widened in sheer panic. “Senator, you cannot leave. The Chairman of the Armed Services Committee is introducing you in five minutes. If you walk out on these donors, you are committing political suicide p>
Justin stopped. He slowly turned his head to look at Leo.
His dark eyes were completely void of sanity — the terrifying, obsessive look of the Collins bloodline.
“The only woman I care about in this world is crying in an emergency room,” Justin said softly, the words dripping with lethal intent, carefully masking the true depth of their past from his staff. “Do you really think I give a damn about these old men and their money p>
𝘚𝗮𝘷𝘦 уо𝘂𝗿 𝖿𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘪𝗍𝖾 ո𝗼𝘃𝖾ls 𝗼𝗇
Leo swallowed hard and took a physical step backward. “I will call air traffic control immediately, sir p>
Justin turned and walked out through the kitchen service doors, abandoning his political future without a single backward glance.
Present time. Mount Sinai Hospital, VIP Lounge.
The heavy, soundproof doors of the top-floor VIP lounge sealed them off from the chaos of the ER below. Thanks to Justin’s terrifying exercise of federal power, the blood had arrived by NYPD helicopter. Mr. Golden was stabilized in surgery.
Carmen sat on the edge of a plush leather sofa, staring blankly at the wall. Her hands were wrapped around a styrofoam cup of hot tea she wasn’t drinking. The liquid trembled violently, mirroring the shaking of her hands.
Justin removed his suit jacket, walked over, and gently draped the heavy, warm wool over her shivering shoulders.
He didn’t sit beside her. He crouched down on the floor directly in front of her, forcing himself into her line of sight.
Carmen’s hollow, bloodshot eyes slowly focused on his face.
A fresh tear slipped down her cheek. “I don’t know who I am anymore, Justin,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “My whole life is a lie p>
Justin’s chest tightened with a dark, painful ache. He reached up, his rough thumb gently wiping the tear from her skin. The heat of his touch made her breath hitch.