After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 16

“If you’re done recovering, we continue.” Jeffrey ignored Rebecca’s anger. His skilled fingers made quick work of his suit buttons before he shrugged off the jacket and tossed it aside.

Rebecca instinctively pulled back, her eyes wide with alarm. “What are you going to do?”

“What do you think a man and woman do in bed together?” Jeffrey moved closer, his large frame dominating her space.

She thought about running, but Jeffrey had locked every door in the suite, leaving her trapped.

“Aren’t you with Andrea?” Rebecca demanded as he backed her from the bed into a corner. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“You’re mistaken about one thing,” Jeffrey said calmly, noting the flash of anger in Rebecca’s eyes.

“I’m not pursuing you–you’re the one who keeps appearing wherever I am,” he continued, advancing with unwavering determination. “You should have known what might happen when you came to a hotel to sell jewelry.”

“If I had known you were here,” Rebecca said, her voice steady and clear, “nothing could have made me come.”

The reason she dared to meet Stanley at the hotel was precisely because she had been here before with Jeffrey for work. Those occasions had been entirely professional–just straightforward business discussions followed occasionally by a meal downstairs, so she didn’t think much of it.

Besides, the meeting wasn’t in a private room but a conference room, which made the setting feel familiar and safe.

Jeffrey’s expression turned frosty. “Is that right?”

“Yes,” Rebecca retorted.

“Too bad we don’t get any ‘ifs‘,” Jeffrey said, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him. “Today, you’re stuck with just me.”

His mouth found hers in a harsh kiss. She raised a hand to hit him, but he caught both her wrists and pinned them above her head. When she tried to kick out, he easily subdued her.

In a matter of seconds, he had her cornered against the wall, completely at his mercy.

Humiliation burned through Rebecca.

“Tears won’t get you anywhere,” he told her flatly, watching the angry tears well up in her eyes. “You should be glad it’s me. Anyone else would have been far less gentle.”

it be anyone else,” Rebecca fired

as he asked, “Are you absolutely sure about

forced herself to swallow the words she had been about to say. This version of Jeffrey was nothing like the man who had once doted on

of hair behind her ear, his

a soft squeeze, she couldn’t

rough whisper that felt far too intimate. “No one is buying that ring without my say–so. Your

Rebecca snapped, knowing she could

was taken aback by her newfound nerve. “So that’s your strategy for survival?” he

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Chapter 15

there was no escaping him. The difference in their size and strength

she challenged him, “All this talk

surprise; he hadn’t

over with,” she said, her whole demeanor shifting as she stopped resisting.

Jeffrey released

happening, he pulled out his phone and made a call right in front of her. “You want her? She’s in the room. She’s

you doing?” Rebecca asked, a sense of dread washing over

put his phone away and looked

Rebecca’s heart sank instantly.

and only then did the icy

scanned the room for anything she could use to defend herself or make an escape, but the place had

outside the suite. The door opened, and

at her pale face. “Don’t hold back on

low breath, thinking, ‘He doesn’t make it

this?” he asked, his tone carefully neutral as he

place and bit its owner,” Jeffrey said, his voice

Stanley said with a faint

sound of his dress

corny line, though what he really wanted was

Jeffrey wasn’t coming back. She took a

imperceptibly as he paused

recovering with a nod.