Chapter 9
Calvin stood on the airstrip, watching the helicopter ascend. He kept his eyes on it until it disappeared into the sky. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
He hadn’t forgotten what Joanna had asked of him. Gritting his teeth, he turned and walked away without looking back.
Before leaving, he wiped all traces of their presence–surveillance footage, travel records, everything. It was as if they had never been
there.
His car sped down the road. He rolled down the window and tossed
out Joanna’s phone. Moments later, it was crushed beneath the tires.
of an oncoming truck.
Inside the villa, Rowan sat beside Hattie, a vague sense of unease
creeping through him. Hattie was curled against him on the couch,
resting her head on his lap. Sensing his agitation, she straightened
and tried to massage his shoulders.
Rowan brushed her hands off, clearly irritated by her touch. He
grabbed his phone and stepped out onto the balcony.
He had assumed the reason he wasn’t getting any messages from Joanna was that his phone had died.
But when he lit up the screen and saw the battery was fully charged,
Chapter 9
his expression darkened instantly.
His fingers traced the edge of his phone over and over. He didn’t understand–he had done all this for her.
2/5
This wasn’t Andarre. Things here didn’t work on instinct or impulse.
There were rules. One wrong move and everything could fall apart.
He could protect her for now, but that didn’t mean he could shield her
forever. If he left first, she would be on her own.
With that firecracker temper and stubborn defiance, Joanna would tear through anything in her path. And when the wreckage settled, there would be no one left to pull her out or shield her from the fallout.
He kept telling himself it was for her own good, but Joanna was impossibly headstrong. She was reckless and defiant, always pushing back no matter the cost.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He couldn’t even tell if he was angrier at her for not appreciating what he
had done, or at the fact that she still hadn’t called.
Just then, a pair of soft hands slipped around his waist. As he stirred from his thoughts, Hattie’s hand drifted downward, slow and
deliberate.
Hattie found what she was looking for, and her hand stilled as she
felt the undeniable firmness beneath her touch.
As Rowan’s body began to react under her touch, Hattie curled her lips into a slow smile, ready to take it further.
But just as her hand slid lower, Rowan suddenly grabbed her wrist. His brows drew together as he adjusted her posture with calm finality.
“We’ve done too much these past few days. Don’t hurt the baby.”
Noticing that he cared more about the baby than her, Hattie pouted
and curled herself into his arms with feigned sweetness. “So what is
it, Rowan? Am I more important, or the baby?”
Rowan took a deep breath. She always played this game. He
answered patiently, “You are.”
Hattie arched a brow and pressed further. “So who matters more? Me
or Joanna?”
The room fell into a sudden, heavy silence.
She lifted her gaze cautiously to look at Rowan, only to find him
staring back at her, cold and wordless.
The coldness in his eyes pierced straight through her. A shiver ran
down her spine as dread took hold.
She had touched a nerve. That was one of Rowan’s unspoken
boundaries.
Lowering her head, Hattie quickly masked the jealousy flickering in her eyes. When she looked up again, she leaned in gently, brushing
her body against Rowan with careful ease.
“Alright, I won’t joke about that again. Rowan, don’t be like this… You’re scaring me and the baby.”
But Rowan’s expression turned cold. Any warmth he had shown moments ago vanished entirely.
He said coldly, “Hattie, don’t forget what I told you. No one will ever outrank Joanna in my life. I’ve given you everything you asked for. But what I want, you’d better not forget it.”
The edge in his voice made her shiver. His words rang like a warning. in her ears, impossible to ignore.
She remembered those words well. There was no way she could
forget.
Still, deep down, she refused to believe it. Rowan was addicted to her body. There was no way he truly cared about Joanna.
The only difference was that Joanna had been with him a few more
years.
Once she gave birth to his child, everything -his attention, his heart,
his future–would be hers and hers alone.
Clinging to that belief, she shifted again, playing the part of the
delicate lover.
Her long legs slid between Rowan’s, brushing against him with
intentional ease. When she noticed the heat in his eyes start to deepen, she pushed further, her touches growing bolder and more
provocative.
Rowan suddenly lifted her into his arms, ready to carry her upstairs.
But before they could reach the stairs, a knock rattled the front door.”
Rowan! There’s a package out here. Is it yours?”
Chapter 10
Rowan’s gaze dropped to the large box sitting at the doorstep. The
package was sealed tight, the cardboard crisp and clean, like it had just come off the line.
Hattie’s face twisted in frustration, clearly annoyed by the
interruption. When she looked over at Calvin, a flicker of disdain flashed across her expression.
She hadn’t forgotten what happened at her birthday party. That was the night Calvin refused to leave Joanna’s side, no matter what. He was adamantly guarding her like some loyal dog.
She instinctively felt a wave of dislike toward him and wanted to get
rid of him right away.
“Probably just a mix–up on the shipping label,” she said as she tried to tug on Rowan’s arm.
“Might be something I ordered. Just set it aside. We can open it later.”
But for some reason, as Rowan looked at the large box, his mind began to drift. Something about it just didn’t sit right with him.
He shook off her hand and strode toward it. With one swift motion, he
tore through the packaging.
The moment the lid of the box lifted, everyone in the room froze, except for Calvin. He remained still and quiet behind them.
Hattie’s eyes lit up as she rushed past Rowan, practically glowing as
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