Chapter 14
Chapter 14:
Two men in full white Tyvek suits and respirators jumped out of the truck. They looked as though they were preparing for a nuclear fallout.
“Ms. Wolfe?” the foreman asked, his voice muffled by the mask.
“Upstairs,” Jocelyn said. “Second door on the left. Everything in that room is contaminated. The mattress, the curtains, the rug. If it’s fabric, it goes p>
“Understood.” He signaled his partner, and the two of them marched into the house carrying heavy-duty trash bags and industrial solvents.
A moment later, the front door opened again. Kieran stumbled out wearing a tracksuit that belonged to Robert — two sizes too big, it made him look like a deflated balloon. He was clutching his bespoke Italian suit in a bundle, keeping it carefully away from his body.
He stopped when he saw the Hazmat team dragging what remained of his customized mattress onto the balcony above.
“What are they doing?” Kieran demanded, his voice cracking.
“Cleaning,” Jocelyn said. She didn’t look at him. She was watching the balcony.
With a heavy grunt, the two men heaved the king-sized mattress over the railing. It plummeted down and landed with a wet, heavy thud directly beside Kieran’s Aston Martin. A cloud of dust and feathers puffed into the air.
“My bed!” Aspen shrieked from the doorway behind him. She was wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair wet and stringy, clutching a muddy brown lump — her limited-edition Hermès Birkin bag. It dripped stagnant flower water down the porch steps.
“That bag cost forty thousand dollars!” Aspen screamed, holding it up.
R𝗲𝖺𝘥 𝘧𝘳ee 𝗇𝘰𝘷𝗲𝘭𝘀 o𝘯
Jocelyn glanced at it. “It smells like it belongs in a sewer. Which is fitting p>
“You’re going to pay for this,” Kieran snarled, stepping into her space. “I’m going to sue you for property damage. I’m going to bury you in legal fees until you’re begging on the street p>
Jocelyn finally looked at him. Really looked at him. He was red-faced, shivering, and impotent.
“Go ahead,” she said quietly. “Sue me. Discovery will be fun. I’m sure the shareholders of Douglas Tech would love to know their CEO spends his afternoons breaking into private homes to have sex in his ex-girlfriend’s childhood bed p>
Kieran’s mouth snapped shut. His jaw worked. He knew she was right — the PR fallout would be catastrophic.
He stormed toward his car and kicked the mattress out of his path. “Aspen, get in the car p>
“But my bag!” Aspen wailed.
“Leave the damn bag!” Kieran roared.
They peeled out of the driveway, gravel spraying in every direction.
Jocelyn let out a breath she felt as though she had been holding for an hour. Her knees shook.
“Jocelyn p>
The voice came from behind her. Robert, her stepfather, stood in the doorway. He looked tired, a phone in his hand.
“That was unnecessary,” Robert said. He wasn’t yelling. He sounded resigned.
“It was hygiene,” Jocelyn corrected.
“Your mother is hysterical,” Robert said, rubbing his temple. “She’s calling her lawyers p>
“Let her,” Jocelyn said. “I have the deed, Robert. The trust transferred it this morning. This house is mine p>