Page 118 of Scandalous Contract

And on that ominous note, he ended the call. I sat there, phone to my ear, staring at the wall. When I heard a car crank up outside, I pulled up the live camera feed again in time to see Hudson drive off. I exhaled.

I thought I’d left Hudson and his bullshit behind when I quit my job. But he’d followed me. I just wanted him to leave me alone. But that man wasn’t going to give up so easily. I couldn’t call the police on Hudson and risk him bringing up old rumors.

In this day and age, rumors went viral. And viral meant India would learn about those rumors. I could not have that happen. Ever! So, no police. I’d have to handle this on my own. If Hudson showed up here again, I’d let him inside, since he was so desperate to get in.

But once he was in, he’d never leave again.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

JULIAN

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ALL I COULD SEE WASa damn wall. Stefanie had turned the bear around hours ago. No, I couldn’t see her, but I could still listen in. Unfortunately, there was only silence for hours. A lonely silence that damn near had me going over her house and demanding she let me love her.

She didn’t have to love me back, not right away. She just had to let me love her. But I knew she needed time to process what I’d told her. Given her past, I would’ve been shocked if she’d jumped into my arms right away.

I was just thankful she hadn’t tossed the teddy bear onto the porch. I was especially glad for that a few hours later when I heard those loud-ass bangs in her house. I’d thought something was wrong.

I’d called out for her. When she hadn’t answered, I pulled up the security feed from the front of her house. That’s when I saw the car parked in the yard and the man banging on her door like he’d lost his mind. I’d seen red.

A man. At Stefanie’s house. Trying to get in.

I had to kill him. There were no other options. I zoomed in on the license plate and learned it was Hudson Howard, the coworker I’d already planned to put my hands on. My jaw clenched.

After chatting with the security guard at the news station a month ago, I learned Hudson and Stefanie weren’t as close as I thought. Because of that, I’d planned to leave the fucker alone. After my last conversation with the guard, I learned that Hudson had seemed to threaten Stefanie that day those bad storms rolled through, putting the man back on my radar.

I just hadn’t had time to pay him a visit yet. It seemed I needed to make time. I stood up, grabbed my keys, and walked out of my house. By the time I made it to her home, he was already gone.

I drove past her house twice that night, making sure no one was bothering her. The next morning, I sat in my office, the blinds drawn, lights off. The only illumination came from the multiple monitors displaying information on Hudson Howard.

I’d already had him investigated. I just hadn’t properly gone through the information yet. I had files, surveillance footage, and a detailed schedule of his daily routine. The man was predictable, almost insultingly so.

He came from a wealthy family. His father was strict and expected him to excel at whatever he did. There had been claims of childhood abuse and domestic violence in his household while growing up.

It seemed his father had gotten those claims dropped. But the truth was, the old man had beaten his wife and his kid. The old man believed a woman’s place was in the house, taking care of the family. He’d been noted as saying that the best woman was a silent, unseen woman.