Page 43 of Fallen Heir

I hadn’t expected to recover so quickly from this morning—but this, whateverthiswas, was exactly what I needed. To feel safe. To feel surrounded by people who care.

And Ben did. I could see it in the way his eyes scanned every face that walked into the café. In the slight shift of his posture every time the door opened. He didn’t just watch—heprotected.

Not the way Jaxson did.

But like a brother.

My chest tightened, and for the briefest moment, I let myself wish.

If only the fake arrangement with Jaxson could feel real, too.

But then reality came crashing back—he’d never want me. Not if he saw what was under my clothes.

The jagged scars on my thighs. The ones across my ribs. The faint mark on my hip that never quite faded. The lines that were vivid on my back from whatever Bruce could slam into it.

They weren’t the kind of wounds that healed clean. They told stories no one wanted to hear.

“Today’s my turn on watch,” Ben said casually, pulling me from my spiral. “No hard feelings.”

Millie grinned. “Fine. But one day, you’re going to have to say no when Jax tells you to watch me.”

Ben didn’t respond, but the way his eyes shifted to me—soft, protective—I knew.

He was keeping my secrets, too.

Our lunch went well over the typical hour, but it was everything I needed. The laughter. The warmth. The silence that wasn’t filled with fear. For the first time in days, I breathed without bracing for impact.

Ben stood, gathering our trays without a word, and Millie shot me a look as she reached for her bag.

“You should go home,” she said. “Get some rest. Your face was all over the tabloids this morning, after all. Plus, you look like shit still.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but she beat me to it.

“And by the way,” she added with a smirk, “you’re a damn genius for that PR idea. Jaxson’s already making headlines—in agoodway. Not showboating some random supermodel. That’s all you.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. So I just nodded.

Ben moved closer, keys already in hand. “I’ll drive you.”

I hesitated. Looked at Millie, then back at him.

“Let him take you. I don’t need the babysitting all day anyways.”

And for once… I didn’t feel the need to protest.

“Okay,” I said quietly.

And just like that, I wasn’t walking this alone anymore.

Chapter 16

Jaxson

The second I walked through the door of my office, I started pacing. That voice.His voice. It hadn’t even been loud, just smug. But it was enough to set every nerve in my body on edge.

Bruce wasn’t going to stop. Not until he had exactly what he wanted. Not until she was either back in his grip… or gone for good.

I clenched my fists, jaw tight as I stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows of Westbrook Real Estate. The city looked peaceful from up here. Deceptive. Too quiet for the war I knew was coming.