Chapter 350
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Chapter 350:
He was wearing the same white dress shirt from the hotel, now heavily wrinkled, the top three buttons undone. His face was pale with exhaustion, his jaw locked in a rigid line. He had landed in Frankfurt, walked into the boardroom, and executed a financial slaughter — using the most brutal leverage he possessed to force the German syndicate to sign the papers in under three hours. Then he had turned around and gotten back on the plane. He physically could not tolerate the idea of sleeping in a European hotel while his wife was in New York.
His executive assistant practically jogged to keep up as they entered the VIP arrivals corridor.
“Sir,” the assistant reported, eyes fixed on an iPad. “Security at the penthouse confirms Mrs. Collins is not there p>
Gaston’s footsteps stopped dead.
His eyes snapped toward the assistant. A cold, paralyzing spike of panic drove straight into his chest.
“Where is she?” Gaston demanded, his voice a lethal whisper.
“Her phone GPS is pinging here, sir,” the assistant swallowed. “At JFK. Terminal One p>
Gaston’s brain misfired. She was at the airport. She had found out something. She was running.
D𝗼𝘸𝗻𝗅о𝖺𝖽 P𝗗𝘍s f𝘳𝗲𝖾 𝘰𝗻
“Contact airport operations,” Gaston roared, his voice reverberating off the glass walls. “Delay flight AF007 to Frankfurt. Cite a severe security concern on my direct authority. I want that boarding gate sealed right now p>
Jocelyn was holding a cup of black coffee, walking toward the private boarding lounge, when the heavy glass doors at the end of the corridor swung open.
Six massive men in black suits poured into the hallway, moving with military precision and instantly blocking the exits.
Jocelyn stopped. Her coffee cup hovered in the air.
The bodyguards parted down the middle.
Gaston came through the gap like a wounded, desperate animal. His chest was heaving, his dark hair disheveled. When his wild eyes found Jocelyn standing alone in the middle of the corridor, all the air was sucked from the room.
He crossed to her in three massive strides. He reached out and grabbed her left wrist, his grip tight and trembling with raw, naked fear.
“Where are you going?” Gaston asked. His voice was completely broken.
Jocelyn looked at the dark exhausted circles beneath his eyes, the rigid tension locked into his shoulders. A sharp ache twisted through her heart. Her eyes filled instantly with hot tears.
“Why are you here?” Jocelyn whispered, her voice thick. “You are supposed to be in Germany p>
Gaston’s jaw ticked. He pulled her a fraction closer.
“I crushed them,” Gaston said, his eyes burning with a manic, obsessive light. “I destroyed their leverage and I came back. Because I cannot breathe when you are not in my city p>
A single tear slipped down Jocelyn’s cheek.
She raised her free hand and pressed her thick, premium boarding pass flat against his chest.
“You are a liar, Gaston Collins,” Jocelyn choked out, a wet laugh escaping her throat.
Gaston looked down.
His eyes focused on the bold black ink printed on the ticket.
Destination: Frankfurt (FRA)
His brain stalled completely. The panic evaporated, replaced by a shockwave of absolute disbelief. He raised his head slowly and looked at her as though she might be a hallucination.
Jocelyn dropped her coffee cup. It hit the carpet with a dull thud, dark liquid spreading across the fibers. She rose onto her tiptoes and threw both arms tightly around his neck.