Chapter 416
“I’m leaving,” I say, stopping a few steps away from him. “I only agreed to stay one night, so now it’s time for me to leave p>
I brace myself for an argument, for him to push back the way he usually does, but instead, he nods.
“Fine p>
That catches me off guard and I immediately deflate. I was ready to go to war on this, and yet he easily agreed.
“You’re not going to argue?” I ask, my eyes narrowing
He shakes his head slightly. “No. It’s your choice and I’m not about to be an asshole and force my will on you p>
Wow. That is not what I expected. What the hell happened to him? I’m so used to Noah forcing his will that this feels foreign.
“I will, however, be sending you with bodyguards.” He adds, and I sigh. I knew it.
I frown immediately. “Noah p>
“You need them, Sierra. You heard what the officer said,” he says. “You need to be careful and safe until Brook and whoever she teamed up with are caught p>
“I get that, but I can get a bodyguard on my own. ” I tell him, my tone firm. “I don’t need you assigning people to follow me around p>
He exhales, clearly not happy about it. “Where are you going to get them? How are you going to pay them p>
We decided not to tell anyone my identity yet. Not until Aunt Harper makes the official announcement.
“I’ll get them from a security company,” I reply. “As for how I’ll pay them, you don’t need to worry about that p>
He runs a hand through his hair before looking at me, his eyes searching deep. I can see the internal battle there, but I am not going to budge on this.
“Fine,” he finally agrees, “But you’ll run them by me… I have to make sure that they’re good enough to protect you p>
“Alright,” I shrug.
“Where are you going? I’ll drive you,” he adds.
“There no need,” I say quickly. “Lilly’s coming to pick me up p>
Something flickers in his eyes at that, but he doesn’t comment. Instead, he just looks at me for a moment, like he’s trying to say something and deciding how.
“I’m going to fix this. I’m going to fix everything,” he says abruptly. I’ll make it right, Sierra p>
I don’t respond because I don’t know how to. A part of me wants to believe him, wants to hold onto that the way I would have before, but things aren’t the same anymore. They haven’t been for a long time.
“I’ll earn your forgiveness, Sierra, and your heart,” he continues, his gaze holding mine.
That makes something in my chest tighten but I still don’t say anything because I don’t know if I can give him that anymore.
If it were years back, I would have jumped on that chance. I would have been ecstatic about it, but there is so much damage between us I don’t think things will ever work out… And not forgetting Adrian. What I felt for him is still there, buried under everything.
A car honk sounds, the sound cutting through the moment.
“I should go,” I say. “Thank you for yesterday, Noah p>
“Anything for you p>
I turn and walk out, stepping into the morning air just as Lilly’s car comes to a stop in front of the house. I get in, closing the door behind me as she looks me over immediately.
“You okay?” she asks.
“I’m fine,” I say, leaning back slightly. “Other than the pain from my leg that occasionally shoots all the way to my butt, I’m good p>
She huffs a small laugh and starts the car. As we pull away, I glance back one last time to find Noah is standing outside watching.
Even as the distance grows, his figure remains fixed in place, his gaze locked on the car until he disappears from view.
The ride to Lilly’s penthouse is mainly quiet. When we get there, she leads me inside, kicking off her shoes as she moves.
“Sit,” she says, gesturing toward the couch. “I’ll get us something to drink p>
I drop onto the couch, letting out a small breath as I settle in.
“Why aren’t you at work?” I call out.
She snorts from the kitchen. “Because my best friend’s house got shot up. I think that earns me a day off p>
“Fair point,” I chuckle.
“And besides, I’m the boss,” she adds. “I can do whatever the fuck I want p>
“You really love using that line p>
“Of course, because it does feel so damn good being the boss p>
A few minutes later, she comes back, handing me a soda before sitting beside me. I crack it open and take a sip just as my phone chimes.
I reach for it absentmindedly, unlocking the screen and then I choke. The soda goes down the wrong pipe, and I cough violently as Lilly immediately leans forward, hitting my back.
“Hey, are you okay p>
I don’t answer. I just stare at my phone, wondering if I’ve started hallucinating.
“Sierra?” she presses.
“I just…” I cough again, my eyes wide. “I just received twenty million dollars p>