Chapter 5 - Buying Time
The next morning, Evelyn did something she swore she would never do. She drove to Julian's newly purchased estate. When the massive iron gates opened and she parked in the circular driveway, Julian rushed out the front door, looking panicked. He thought something had happened to the girls.
Evelyn quickly explained her encounter with Marcus Thorne. As she spoke, Julian's demeanor shifted instantly. The heartbroken, pleading father vanished, replaced by the ruthless, brilliant billionaire CEO she had married years ago. His jaw tightened, and a dangerous fire ignited in his eyes.
He threatened the girls? Julian asked, his voice a low, lethal octave.
He threatened to expose them to the press to tank your stock and force me to hand over my research, Evelyn corrected. I do not care about your stock, Julian. But I will not let my daughters be stalked by paparazzi and dragged through the mud.
Julian pulled out his phone, firing off rapid text messages to his crisis management team and his legal sharks in New York. You are right. Our daughters will not be touched. I will destroy Marcus Thorne before he can even draft a press release. But Evelyn, I need you and the girls to stay here. In my house. It has a state-of-the-art security system. The gates are heavily guarded.
I am not moving in with you, Julian, she argued.
May you like
It is just until I neutralize the threat, he pleaded, dropping the corporate mask. Please, Evelyn. For five years, I failed to protect you. Let me protect you now.
Reluctantly, knowing Marcus's history of hiring private investigators and thugs to harass his rivals, Evelyn agreed. That afternoon, the girls ran through the massive halls of Julian's mansion, completely unaware of the danger outside, thinking they were just on a fun vacation at Mommy's friend's big house.
