Chapter 242
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Chapter 242:
“She saw the credit card charge for the buy-in,” Gaston said, a low chuckle vibrating in his chest. “She wants to know if I lost the family fortune on a single hand p>
“Tell her you won,” Jocelyn smiled.
“I’ll tell her I won everything,” he said, looking at her.
They took the private elevator down to the garage, bypassing the main floor entirely. Vance was waiting with the car already running.
As they merged onto the highway, Jocelyn checked her phone. Silence. No angry texts from Kieran. No threats.
“He’s quiet,” she said, frowning at the screen. “That scares me p>
Gaston took her hand, interlacing their fingers. “He’s broke. That stops most men p>
C𝗵𝘪nе𝘴е n𝘰𝘷e𝘭𝘴 𝗍𝗋𝘢ո𝘀l𝘢𝘵e𝗱 oո
Jocelyn shook her head slowly. “Not him. He feeds on grievances. He doesn’t need money to be dangerous. He just needs a narrative p>
Miles away, in his own car, Kieran wasn’t idle. He opened his messages, selected Aspen’s contact, and attached the blurry photograph.
Proof, he typed. Jocelyn is just a placeholder wife. He has a hidden woman. We have him.
He hit send.
The smell of coffee was the first thing to greet Jocelyn — rich, dark, and strong enough to wake the dead.
She rolled over in the massive bed, her limbs heavy with sleep. The events of the poker game felt like a fever dream. The winning hand. The balcony. The kiss.
She sat up. Gaston was in the armchair by the window, a tablet in his hand, already dressed in a crisp white shirt and dark trousers, looking annoyingly alert.
“Morning,” he said without looking up. “Kieran liquidated some assets this morning p>
Jocelyn stretched, her joints popping. “To pay you p>
Gaston finally looked at her. A slow smile spread across his face. “To pay us. The money is in your account. The transfer cleared ten minutes ago p>
She reached for her phone on the nightstand and opened her banking app. The number on the screen was staggering — more money than she had ever seen in one place, all of it extracted from Kieran Douglas’s ego.
“I want to use it for his wedding gift,” Jocelyn said, her voice dropping an octave.
Gaston raised an eyebrow. “A bomb p>
“A truth bomb,” she said, sliding out of bed. “I’m going to that wedding. As your wife. Publicly. Undeniably p>
Gaston set the tablet down, his expression turning serious. “Are you sure? It will be a war zone. Aspen will have the press there. Kieran will be desperate p>
“I’m ready,” she said. She walked over and sat on the arm of his chair. “I have the ultimate weapon p>
“Which is p>
“You,” she said, running a hand through his hair.
Gaston caught her hand and kissed her palm. “Then let’s draft the terms of surrender p>
Thirty miles away, on the shoulder of I-95, there was no romance. There was only steam and rage.
Carmen Golden stood beside her Audi, waving her hand through the white smoke billowing from under the hood.
“Great,” she muttered. “Just great p>
She checked her watch. She had a board meeting in twenty minutes — a meeting she had called herself to discuss the restructuring of the housekeeping department.
She dialed AAA.