Chapter 53
Chapter 53:
Jocelyn felt a cold hollowness open in her stomach. They hadn’t hesitated. Not for a single second. They had sold her for ten million dollars.
Gaston felt her stiffen. His grip on her knee tightened, grounding her.
They signed. The scratch of the pens on paper sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
Gaston collected the documents and the check. He handed the check to Robert and passed the signed document to his lawyer, who stood waiting in the corner.
“Done,” Gaston said. “You have your money. Jocelyn has her life p>
Gaston raised his phone to show an active call — unbroken, on speaker.
Elbert, Gaston’s father, had been listening to the entire acquisition.
“Well then!” Elbert’s voice boomed through the speaker, and he clapped his hands. “Now that business is settled, let’s talk about the future. Grandchildren p>
𝘙е𝖼o𝘮𝗆𝗲𝗻𝘥 𝗍o y𝗼𝗎𝗿 𝗳𝗋𝗂е𝘯d𝘀
Jocelyn choked on air.
“I want five,” Elbert declared. “At least. We need heirs. For every grandson, I’ll gift a villa in Tuscany. For every granddaughter, a penthouse in Paris p>
“Dad,” Gaston warned.
“What? It’s a fair offer!” Elbert beamed.
Gaston turned to Jocelyn, a wicked glint in his eye. “You heard him, darling. Five. We had better get started tonight p>
Jocelyn’s face burned. She pinched his leg, hard.
“We’ll — take it under advisement,” she managed.
Upstairs, hidden in the shadows of the landing, Aspen watched.
She had heard the number — ten million. She had heard the talk of villas and penthouses.
She looked down at her own engagement ring from Kieran. It was large, but Douglas Tech stock was in freefall. Kieran was facing assault charges. And Jocelyn — Jocelyn was being offered all of Europe.
Aspen turned away, her nails digging into her palms.
“It’s not fair,” she hissed. “It should be me p>
Back at the penthouse, the mood was lighter.
Jocelyn kicked off her heels and curled up on the sofa. She watched Gaston pour two glasses of wine.
“They signed so fast,” she said quietly. “They didn’t even read the fine print p>
“They are greedy people,” Gaston said, handing her a glass. “Greedy people are predictable. And easy to buy p>
He sat down beside her. He was still wearing the platinum ring. He tapped it absently against his glass. Clink.
“You’re free now, Jocelyn. Legally, financially. They can’t touch you p>
“Thank you,” she said. “I know ten million is p>
“Pocket change,” Gaston interrupted. “For you? It was a bargain p>
He took a sip of wine, watching her over the rim of the glass. “Elbert wasn’t joking about the grandchildren, by the way. He’s already looking at nursery designs p>
Jocelyn laughed nervously. “He knows it’s a contract marriage, right p>
“He knows we have a contract. He doesn’t care about the details. He cares about results p>
“Well, he’s going to be disappointed p>
Gaston didn’t answer. He simply looked at her mouth. For a moment, the air crackled with that same electricity from the helicopter.
Then his phone buzzed.
He sighed, the moment dissolving. “Business p>
He checked the message. His expression hardened.
“What is it?” Jocelyn asked.
“Kieran,” Gaston said. “He’s making moves p>
“What kind of moves p>
“Desperate ones p>