Chapter 0063
Chapter 0063
“Tell me, then–what kind of man would I have to be to make you fall in love with me?”
My mouth went dry as our gazes met. Something in his gaze held me captive. His tone was tinged with something fragile and vulnerable. I’d never heard him sound like that before, and it pulled at my heart.
“Am I not good enough compared to Lucas?”
I wrinkled my nose at the thought. “Are you sick? Why would you compare yourself to Lucas?”
“You loved him,” he said, his voice oddly light. He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “And I know that was no small thing… so I’m curious.”
“Yes, I loved him.” I met his gaze. “And he broke my heart and is currently enjoying my suffering.”
His lips twitched into a wince, and I held his gaze. The weight of that question made the air between us heavy. Though I could feel my whole body reacting to his presence, his nearness, his warmth and power, my heart felt cold and distant.
Lucas hadn’t been in half the position of power that Theodore was, and he was still so close to destroying me. The fear of what it would be like to trust Theodore and have that trust betrayed was enough to make me sick.
“I can’t see myself falling for anyone again,” I said, keeping my voice steady, unyielding. “It… It costs too much, and I’m still not even sure if I have aany hope of recovering this time.”
His expression faltered. My eyes stung. My throat felt tight. It felt like I’d told him something that I shouldn’t have.
“Why even ask that? Your fated mate could appear at any moment.”
Theodore said nothing for a moment. He didn’t even seem fazed by the possibility. He said nothing and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer so I leaned into him.
“Do you think you
think you could grow to trust me,
Violet?”
My lips twitched. “I think I trust you quite a bit now.”
“I meant as a man,” he said. “Not a business partner.”
I swallowed. “Maybe.”
He let out a slow breath and squeezed me closer. “Can I hold you for a bit?”
His heart thudded wildly beneath my ear. His whole body was still tense, and I nodded,
surprised that he’d asked and unsure of why he wanted this, but it was nice. The ache that I had been ignoring lessened the way it always did when I was this near to him
“Are you okay?”
1/2
Chapter 0063
“I’m fine.”
… going back there is painful for you, isn’t it?”
A rumbling chuckle shook through him. “That obvious?”
“There’s a lot of betrayal in that place for you…” I said. “In your family.”
He cleared his throat. “I think… I think we should chance the subject.”
I closed my eyes and tightened my grip in his jacket.
“I know this doesn’t mean much, right now,” I said. “But… I’d never betray you, Theodore.” “What… does that mean to you, Violet?”
My lips twitched. “That I’d never work against your best interests… even if it would benefit me.”
His heart rate slowed to an even, lulling cadence.
“You should get some rest. It’s a long ride back.”
BONUS
The ride back to Midnight took well into the next day. As soon as we arrived back at his house, I barely had time to breathe before the legal team showed up. I hadn’t met them before, but Theodore made introductions and led me into the parlor they’d been using to work on my case. Piles of papers, legal code references and things were stacked on the table along with notebooks of handwritten notes.
A member of the staff came in to serve food and drinks before leaving again.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Theodore said, passing a hand over my shoulder. “Deep breath, yeah.”
I nodded and looked up at him. “Can we talk later?”
He blinked, seemingly surprised, but he smiled. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“Just come on in.”
“You… don’t mind me being involved with this?”
I tilted my head. “Of course not. I have nothing to hide… You have a right to know.”
His eyes softened and nodded. He seemed oddly pleased before leaving. I turned back to the lawyers as they gathered their notes and took a deep breath.
“Alright,” I said. “What’s going on? You need clarification on something.”
“Yes, but first, you’ll need to review Lucas‘ counter claims.” The lead lawyer pushed it toward me with a grim look on his face.
