Chapter 246
Chapter 246:
Sloane Harper — Easton’s cousin — strutted in wearing combat boots and a leather jacket, carrying two massive plastic cups of iced Americano. She slammed one sweating cup down on Easton’s pristine desk and let her sharp eyes sweep the room.
They landed on the porcelain teapot and the half-empty cup of herbal tea.
“You’re a severe caffeine addict,” Sloane said, her voice thick with suspicion. “Since when do you keep decaf herbal tea in your office p>
Easton didn’t look up. He continued flipping through June’s medical file, his face a mask of cold indifference. “It’s a standard courtesy for clients p>
Sloane let out a loud, exaggerated scoff, threw herself onto the leather sofa, and kicked her boots up onto the glass coffee table.
“I saw June waiting by the elevators,” she said, eyes narrowing. “Did you just give her the keys to the Long Island penthouse? The one you won’t even let me sleep in p>
Easton’s hand went still. He closed the file slowly and looked up at his cousin, his eyes flashing with a sharp warning.
“Watch your mouth, Sloane,” he said, his voice cold and level. “Providing a safe house is a necessary legal precaution to protect a high-risk client p>
𝗥е𝗮𝗱 t𝗁𝖾 l𝖺𝗍𝘦𝘀t t𝗿е𝘯𝗱𝘴 𝗈n ѕ.𝗰о𝘮
Sloane was entirely unintimidated. She rolled her eyes.
“Please, Easton,” she said, leaning forward. “You can fool a science nerd like June with that professional lawyer act. You cannot fool me.” She pointed a finger at his chest.
“I’ve been hearing whispers,” she continued, her voice turning ruthlessly analytical. “Cole’s last few acquisitions have been imploding under bizarre legal pressure. It has your signature all over it. Don’t tell me you’re not the ghost in his machine p>
The precision of her words hit Easton like a physical blow. He set his pen down, pressed his fingers to his temples, and said nothing for a long moment.
He didn’t deny it.
“Yes,” he admitted, his voice dropping to raw, pained gravel. “I watched her drown in that toxic marriage, and the jealousy nearly drove me insane p>
Sloane slapped her thigh. “Then go after her!” she urged. “Cole just made a fool of himself begging on his knees at the hospital. This is the perfect moment for you to step in p>
Easton’s head snapped up. He looked at Sloane with terrifying severity.
“Step in?” he repeated, his voice dropping to freezing. “What kind of woman do you think June is p>
He stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over Manhattan’s gridlocked streets below.
“She is covered in wounds right now,” he said, his voice heavy with suppressed emotion. “What she needs is a legal weapon and absolute freedom — not another man trying to manipulate her emotionally p>
He drove his hands deep into his pockets, his knuckles whitening.
“If I confess my feelings now, I will only create a burden she doesn’t deserve,” he continued, his jaw tight. “She’ll feel as though I’m using my position as her lawyer to coerce her into something. I will not do that to her p>
Sloane stared at her cousin’s back. The playful smirk had left her face entirely, replaced by something closer to awe.
Easton turned around, his eyes burning with quiet, absolute resolve.