After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 156

Chapter 156

MHD

“All I’m asking is for you to stay with me, Rebecca. To stop this talk of divorce, Jeffrey explained, his voice patient. “This isn’t about taking away your freedom.”

Rebecca didn’t bother to reply. “Right, she thought bitterly. He won’t let me leave him, and he expects me to accept that he’s supporting Andrea forever. How is that any different from taking away my freedom?”

“Here. This is yours,” he said, pulling the unlimited black card from his jacket and offering it to her. “I had it reissued with a new design. Andrea never touched it.”

Once, such a thoughtful detail would have melted her heart. Now, it was just noise. Her mind was a single. looping track of panic. She thought, Is Samuel okay? How could this have happened? The school knew all his allergies…

Suddenly, a horrifying idea struck her. She shoved him away, scrambling back to put some distance between them. Her eyes were wide with a new kind of terror.

“Samuel..” she started. “His allergic reaction. That was you, wasn’t it? Did you stage this whole thing?”

The pieces clicked together with sickening speed: the prepared agreement, the order to the doctors to stand down, and the door to his suite left open. It was all too perfect to be a coincidence.

“No.” Jeffrey said flatly.

“Really?” Rebecca shot back.

“No,” he repeated.

She chose to believe him. He didn’t have to lie to her.

Once Rebecca’s emotions had somewhat settled, Jeffrey asked the question almost anyone in his position would have asked. “Do you really think I’m the kind of man who would risk our son’s life?”

“Are you serious?” Rebecca shot back. “You were literally using his life as a bargaining chip five minutes ago. Did you forget already?”

“Amazing,” she thought with biting sarcasm. How a man that powerful could have such a short memory.

Jeffrey’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing to defend himself. The truth was, he was just as terrified for Samuel as Rebecca was. But he didn’t tell her.

The clock rewound two hours, to the moment Rebecca had stormed out of his suite.

Jeffrey was about to call Gregory, intending to have him speak with the gaming division executives. He wanted them to ease up on the PrimePlay Technologies team’s workload and provide more hands–on training

10:30 Mon, Sep 29

Chapter lati

dial, his

summer camp. He had an allergic reaction, and it’s had, the teacher sand, her voice strained with panic. It

condition. My team

dialed the private medical unit that shadowed Samuel 24/7,

were at Samuel’s side in under sixty seconds, giving him the best

reaction is quite severe, the head of the medical team reported to Jeffrey over the phone, his voice tight. “We’ve stabilized him for

motion the instant the call came

it,” the medic

Lena again. “Say nothing of this to Rebecca for the time being,” he

“Okay.” Lena agreed.

on Samuel’s pained face. For the first time in

felt like forever, the doctors brought Samuel out of

Samuel doing?”

who had personally supervised the case, appeared on screen. “He’s fine, Mr. Hanson.

slightly. “Then

just exhausted. It’s been a long day for him, Emory reassured him. “I

chest finally began to loosen.

he suddenly remembered how hell–bent she was on

to the medical staff. “I want you to use makeup that’s safe for kids to make him look like he’s still having an allergic reaction. Make

no one dared question the order.

10:30 Mon, Sep 29

Chapter 156

illusion. And so, the stage was set for

glare and answered her accusation. “I used his life to threaten you,” he admitted, his voice even. “But just this

to admit it, he thought. She needs to believe I can be this ruthless when it comes to Samuel. It’s the only way she’ll understand that leaving me is

back, just quit your job at PrimePlay Technologies,” Jeffrey announced, shifting topics. He wanted her to have an easy life, not kill herself with

the one thing that was truly hers. “You have got to be kidding

confused. For once, he had no clue what had set her off. “I gave you back the card. You can have anything you want. Why waste your time at an office when you

the table. “And for the record, there is nothing in your stupid agreement that says

the memory burning like acid. The next time we fight. he’ll

will not make the same mistake twice. Once was more than enough

job makes you happy, keep it. You’re free

had become a permanent thorn in her heart, but he had no

the agreement back at him. As he watched her, a strange warmth flickered to life in Jeffrey’s chest. Her

same as she always was. The only

Jeffrey said softly.