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“I’m sorry, Mama,” he replied, and I felt my anger immediately melt away. I pulled him into a hug, holding back the wave of emotions that threatened to spill.

The last time I felt this scared was the night I left Mary’s grandpa’s cottage, shortly before Adrian’s gardener found me curled up in his garden. Today was a close brush between my past and future, a reminder of how much the veil between them wore with every day I spent in this city.

“It’s okay, baby. Just don’t scare me like that again, okay?”

He nodded, and I placed a kiss on his forehead, pushing away the image of him and Griffin standing hand in hand.

I needed to leave. The stakes kept growing every day, and Griffin wouldn’t stop pushing into my life like a bull charging after a red sign.

******

“Mr. Henry,” I greeted as I was ushered into the conference room. “Your email was quite the impromptu summon.”

I settled into the chair he pulled out for me, slightly on edge about the meeting. Just when I thought I was done with the deal, he felt the need to make last-minute changes to the clause.

“It’s nothing bad, Mrs. Diamond. In fact, I think this is an opportunity you will be interested in.”

I raised a brow, indicating for him to continue.

“A long-time business partner of mine is equally interested in our project, and I’m certain his influence would be of immense help to us and the merger.”

I felt myself relax following his words. When he had said a close friend of his was equally interested, I almost passed out from the fear of losing the deal, but this, this was good. Who knows, I could form new alliances from the collaboration and maybe get someone who could keep a close eye on the progression of things, making it easier for me to leave the state.

“That’s great. This friend of yours, will he be joining us today?” I asked, a tad bit excited but also cautious. I couldn’t trust this person not to hijack the project until I spoke to them.

Henry glanced at the Rolex gleaming on his wrist.

“He texted not too long ago to say the traffic was bad, but he should be here anytime from—”

“I hope I’m not too late.” A chilling but familiar voice preceded the most delicious scent, causing the hairs at my nape to stand and my heart to come to a screeching halt.

“Griffin,” Henry greeted, a fond smile stretching out his lips. “You’re just in time. Mrs. Diamond just got here and is quite excited to meet you.”

Griffin’s brows shot up by a small fraction, and he turned to me. “Good morning, Mrs. Diamond. Nice to run into you again.”

I forced my lips to curl into a smile, nursing a secret urge to smash his face into the table in between us. What did he think he was doing, turning up at every corner?

“Mr. Thorne, you’re quite the enduring type,” I said through gritted teeth.

“What can I say? I will never give up,” he replied, holding my gaze.

Henry beamed at us, probably happy to see his biggest investors getting along fine. If only he knew.

“So,” Griffin started, undoing his suit button and settling into the chair across from mine. “Let’s talk energy.”

The movement was random, but it brought my attention to his broad shoulders and perfectly muscled arms. I tore my gaze away, squeezing my thighs to quell the dull throbbing between my legs.

His gaze met mine, a knowing look playing on them. Smug bastard.

“Mr. Henry and I already discussed the details of the merger. You can get the file and contract details from him and let us know if there’s something you’d like to add,” I rushed out, eager to end the meeting and leave the room as soon as possible.

“Why prolong the process when we’re all seated here?” Griffin said, throwing me a challenging look.

Henry eventually agreed it was only fair to review the contract in front of Griffin, so we got into it.

The following minutes were filled with Griffin asking questions I knew very well he had answers to and trying every trick in the book to get a reaction from me.

At some point, I could see Henry giving us a funny look, and I cursed beneath my breath. This was the second time the idiot was threatening to ruin my reputation in front of my business partners.