Chapter 65
Chapter 65:
“Thank you,” Jocelyn said, breaking the silence. “For the watch. For the dress. For… saving me at the store p>
“You don’t need saving,” Gaston said, his eyes on the road. “You just need ammunition p>
“Still.” She looked down at her hands. “Why lavender, Gaston? Really p>
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I told you. It’s a good color p>
“Jerry said you mentioned a memory p>
“Jerry talks too much p>
He pulled into the underground garage of Collins Tower. The conversation was over.
Up in the apartment, Gaston went straight to his study. “I have calls p>
Jocelyn wandered into the living room, feeling restless. The adrenaline from the day was fading, leaving her exhausted but wired.
She settled onto the sofa and, rather than reach for a magazine, noticed a thick leather-bound book on the lower shelf of the coffee table. It was titled Collins Group: A Retrospective — a private, in-house publication.
She flipped through it idly. Marble floors. Soaring ceilings. Cold, impressive, empty.
𝗙о𝗅lоw 𝗎𝗌 𝗼ո ѕ.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Then she saw it.
A photo of Gaston’s private office from five years ago. It was sleek, modern, devoid of personal clutter — except for one thing. On the corner of his desk, in a simple crystal vase, sat a bundle of dried lavender.
Jocelyn brought the book closer. Five years ago. They hadn’t even known each other then. She was just a college student dreaming of becoming an architect.
Why would a man like Gaston Collins keep dried lavender on his desk?
Her phone rang, shattering her thoughts.
It was the hotel front desk.
“Ms. Wolfe,” the receptionist sounded panicked. “I just got a call from the Smith Group. They’re cancelling the annual conference p>
Jocelyn sat up straight. “What? That’s our biggest booking of the year. Two million dollars p>
“They said… they said Douglas Tech advised them to reconsider their venue due to ‘security concerns.’ They cited the police investigation p>
Kieran.
He was bleeding her dry.
“I’ll handle it,” Jocelyn said, though she had no idea how.
She hung up. The book slid to the floor. Two million dollars. The hotel couldn’t afford to lose that revenue.
Gaston walked out of his study. He had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He took one look at her face.
“What happened p>
“Kieran,” Jocelyn said, her voice hollow. “He pressured the Smith Group to cancel. We lost the conference p>
Gaston’s expression didn’t change. He walked over to the bar and poured two fingers of scotch.
“The Smith Group,” he mused. “That’s a logistics firm, right p>
“Yes. They book two hundred rooms for a week p>
“Small potatoes,” Gaston said, taking a sip.
“It’s not small to me!” Jocelyn snapped. “That’s payroll for three months. If we lose them, the other corporate clients will follow. Kieran is going to bankrupt the hotel p>
Gaston set the glass down. He walked over to her and crouched until they were eye level.
“He’s trying to starve you out,” Gaston said. “He thinks if you have no money, you’ll have no choice but to crawl back to him p>