Chapter 297
“`
– For each row, replace every instance of “Chapter 297” with “Chapter N” (where N is that row’s chapter number). Do not alter any other text, HTML attributes, or formatting.
Chapter 297:
Gaston walked out of the bedroom and headed for the kitchen to make pour-over coffee.
Twenty minutes later, Jocelyn emerged from the master bathroom in a sharp tailored business suit, hair pulled back in a severe bun. Professional armor, reconstructed.
In the kitchen, Gaston stood at the marble island, the muscles in his back shifting smoothly as he poured boiling water over the coffee grounds.
Her pulse spiked again.
Gaston turned and slid a steaming mug of black coffee across the counter. He pulled out a barstool and gestured for her to sit. The playful arrogance was gone. His dark eyes were serious.
“I owe you a formal apology,” Gaston said, his voice low and steady. “I let you believe a lie about my sexuality. I let you think you were safe from me p>
𝖣𝘰𝘸ո𝗹𝗈𝘢𝗱 P𝗗𝖥𝘴 𝘧𝗿e𝘦 on
Jocelyn wrapped her cold hands around the warm ceramic mug and looked down at the dark liquid.
“Why?” she asked quietly. “Why would you let the tabloids drag your name through the mud like that? Why pretend p>
Gaston exhaled. He leaned his hips against the counter and crossed his arms.
“The Collins family is an old-money dynasty, Jocelyn. In my world, marriage is not about love. It is a corporate merger. A transaction p>
He paused, his jaw tightening.
“My father, Elbert, spent three years trying to force me into an arranged marriage with the heiress of the Astor family. It was designed to consolidate our political power in Washington. I refused. But my father is relentless. So I gave the media exactly what they wanted — I let them photograph me walking out of male model clubs. I let the rumors spread. I made myself completely unmarriable to any respectable high-society family p>
Jocelyn stared at him. “You destroyed your own public reputation just to avoid a wedding? You are insane p>
Gaston uncrossed his arms and leaned forward over the marble island. He placed his large, warm hand over her trembling fingers.
“It was the only way,” he said, his voice dropping to a fierce, quiet intensity. “The only way I could keep the absolute freedom to choose my own wife p>
The raw sincerity in his eyes felt like a physical weight.
Jocelyn tried to pull her hand back. “Gaston, we signed a prenuptial agreement. It clearly states mutual non-interference p>
Gaston laughed softly. He turned her hand over and pressed his thumb to the pulse at her wrist.
“Your response to me last night did not feel like non-interference,” he said smoothly.
Her face flooded with color. She had no defense. She lifted her coffee mug with her free hand and took a long sip.
Gaston stood and walked around the island. He stepped directly into her space and placed both hands on the armrests of her barstool, trapping her completely.
“Stop using the contract as a shield,” he said quietly. “From today on, I am not your fake husband. I am a man. And I want you p>
Jocelyn looked up into his dark eyes. Her carefully constructed walls were crumbling.