Chapter 84
Chapter 84:
Alycia, who had hurried in after him, peered around and followed his gaze. She covered her mouth in an exaggerated gasp. “Oh my. Did June throw away the medicine you gave her? That’s so ungrateful, Cole. After you tried so hard to help her p>
Cole’s breathing turned harsh. His fists clenched until his knuckles went white.
June stepped out of the elevator into the bright, noisy lobby of the resort.
She walked straight toward the Starbucks Reserve near the side entrance. She needed black coffee to force her brain onto the numbers.
The line was long. June stood by the pastry display, phone in her left hand, reading a lengthy email from Silas. It contained the latest receptor binding affinity data from the lab. Her mind detached completely from the toxic mess upstairs and sank into the clean, logical world of molecular structures.
“One venti dark roast, black,” the barista called out.
June grabbed the hot paper cup with her right hand and turned from the counter, eyes still fixed on her glowing screen as she headed toward the business center.
She approached a sharp corner near the hallway.
𝗥е𝗰𝘰𝘮𝗺e𝗻𝘥 𝘵𝗈 y𝗈𝘶𝗋 𝘧r𝗂eո𝘥𝘴
A tall man in a dark gray bespoke suit was coming fast from the opposite direction, head down over a sleek tablet.
Neither of them looked up.
June rounded the corner. Her shoulder slammed into a solid chest. The impact knocked her off balance, her right hand jerked, and the plastic lid popped off the cup. Scalding dark coffee splashed directly across the man’s expensive suit jacket.
“Damn it!” the man growled, his deep voice vibrating with irritation as he fumbled to save his tablet from the marble floor.
A massive, ugly stain spread rapidly across his chest.
June drew a soft breath. She pulled a thick stack of napkins from the nearby condiment stand and held them out. “I apologize,” she said — her voice standard, polite, and entirely devoid of panic.
The man snatched the napkins and looked up, jaw set in an angry line. He had a sharp, predatory face and piercing blue eyes.
It was Declan Hayes. The ruthless young shark of Wall Street’s pharmaceutical investment sector.
Declan opened his mouth to berate the careless woman. Then his eyes focused on her face, and he stopped.
He recognized her. He hadn’t seen her in person before, but during the last Compton Group annual shareholder meeting he’d spotted her photograph in an easily overlooked corner of the “Board of Directors’ Family” page. This was Cole Compton’s invisible wife — the woman the entire elite circle whispered about. The gold digger who had signed a brutal prenuptial agreement just to cling to the Compton wealth.
A slow, mocking smile spread across Declan’s face.
“Well,” he drawled, his tone thick with condescension. “Mrs. Compton. Did your husband forget to hire someone to teach you how to walk in public p>
The title landed. A nearly invisible crease formed between June’s eyebrows. The polite apology vanished from her eyes, replaced instantly by something sharp and cold.
She didn’t lower her head. She didn’t act embarrassed.