Chapter 573

Chapter 572:

“Absolutely not,” he said flatly. “I will not have a camera crew swarming my home like parasites. I will not let them edit your life for public consumption p>

Jocelyn stood and tightened the belt of her silk robe. She walked toward him, refusing to be intimidated.

“I have final cut privilege,” she said, her tone steady. “Penelope gave me absolute control over the footage p>

“It doesn’t matter,” Gaston snapped, pacing the length of the bathroom. “The media is a disease. They will twist everything. They will tear you down for entertainment p>

“I need the money, Gaston,” Jocelyn said.

Gaston stopped pacing. He looked at her as though she had lost her mind.

“You need money?” he repeated, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I will wire one hundred million dollars into your personal account right now. You can buy the entire streaming platform. You do not need to perform for them p>

Jocelyn crossed to him and placed her hands flat against his bare chest, feeling his heart hammering beneath her palms.

“I don’t want Collins money for this,” she said softly, staring directly into his eyes. “I want to build my charity foundation with my own capital. I want to prove that I can generate my own power. I don’t want to just be the woman you rescued. I want to be a force p>

Gaston stared down at her. His jaw clenched so hard a muscle feathered in his cheek. He hated it — the idea of sharing even a fraction of her with the world. Every instinct in him wanted to lock her away and throw away the key.

But he looked at the fierce, unwavering determination in her eyes. He remembered the broken, terrified girl she had once been. He could not be the one to clip her wings now.

𝘞е𝖾𝗄𝘭𝘺 𝗋𝗲𝘭e𝖺𝗌е𝗌 𝗼n

He let out a long, ragged exhale and rested his forehead against hers.

“How badly do you want this?” he asked, his voice thick with reluctant surrender.

“More than anything,” Jocelyn whispered.

A long silence fell between them. When Gaston finally lifted his head, his eyes burned with a dark, absolute possessiveness.

“Fine,” he said. “But I have one non-negotiable condition p>

Jocelyn blinked, surprised he had conceded so quickly. “What is it p>

“If you are putting our life on camera,” he said, his voice dropping an octave, “then I am going to be on camera with you p>

Jocelyn’s mouth fell open. Gaston Collins — the phantom of Wall Street, the man who paid millions to keep his face out of the press — was volunteering for a reality show.

“You?” she asked in disbelief. “Why p>

His hands slid down to grip her waist, pulling her flush against him.

“Because if I don’t,” he said, his eyes flashing with lethal intent, “the media will spin a narrative that we are distant. That I am a cold billionaire. And more importantly, I want every single rat hiding in the shadows of this city to see exactly who you belong to p>