Graham’s words hit me like a physical weight, shattering the fragile mask I’d worn for years. He leaned against the heavy oak door of the west wing room, his presence filling the space with the sharp, calculated authority of a man who won every case he touched.
“Thirty miles, Alexia,” he reminded me, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that sent a hum through my skin. “Back in the car, when you decided to press against me, I told you—if you wanted out, those thirty miles were the last time you ever had to endure Brendan Britt’s disrespect.”
I gripped the edge of the mahogany dresser, my heart hammering against my ribs. “He’ll ruin my career,” I whispered, the fear finally surfacing. “The Britts... they’ll make sure I’m blacklisted before the gala is even over.”
Graham stepped forward, the distance between us vanishing in two long strides. His fingers, firm and warm, tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his dark, piercing gaze. “As your lawyer, I can tell you that empires are difficult to topple. But as a man, I can tell you that protecting one woman from a group of arrogant fools is the easiest case I’ll ever handle.” He traced my lower lip with his thumb, his eyes darkening. “So, do you want to stay here and wither? Or do you want to put on your most expensive dress and tell that idiot he’s fired?”
A spark of defiance, long dormant, ignited in my chest. I looked at him, a reckless smile finally touching my lips. “I want to see the look on his face when he realizes he no longer owns me.”
Graham’s eyes flared with a lethal sort of approval. He reached for my suitcase, setting it on the bed with a decisive thud. “Go change. I’ll be waiting at the entrance of the gala. Don't make me wait too long, Alexia. I’m not a patient man.”
Twenty minutes later, I shed the conservative, muted suit Brendan always insisted I wear to ‘blend in.’ Instead, I pulled out a deep plum, backless silk gown—a dress I had bought in secret but had been too afraid to wear because it would outshine him. Tonight, I wanted it to burn him.
As I walked back toward the grand entrance hall, the silk whispering against my legs, I felt Graham’s gaze on me from the shadows of the corridor. I didn't look back. I had a deposition to attend, and Brendan Britt was about to lose everything.
