Chapter 4

My heart dropped as I read Simon's message.

Jessica was known for being vicious.

Simon was useless. He couldn't even handle his own wife.

"What's wrong?" Raul noticed me tense up and glanced at the screen.

I turned it off quickly.

"Nothing. Mr. Hayes needs me to grab something from the lobby. Important," I replied, keeping it casual.

I smoothed down my dress and climbed off Raul's lap.

Raul raised an eyebrow. "Grab something? Or run away?"

I leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Run away from you? With a sugar daddy this rich? I'm not stupid," I teased.

He let me go. "Ten minutes. Any longer and I'm sending people to find you."

I rushed out, fixing my clothes as I went.

As soon as I was out of sight, I headed for the fire escape.

I'd disappear, let Simon deal with his crazy wife on his own.

But luck wasn't on my side tonight.

No sooner had I stepped out than I ran straight into a crowd coming the other way.

Jessica stormed toward me, followed by a group of reporters with cameras and four huge bodyguards.

I tried to turn back, but she'd already spotted me.

"There she is! Grab her!" Jessica shrieked.

Jessica's voice cut through the hall. Two of her bodyguards blocked my way.

Cameras flashed everywhere. I stepped back, but more guards closed in behind me.

Simon came running from the other direction, sweating. When he saw what was happening, his face went pale. "Baby, let me explain."

He tried to grab Jessica's hand, but she shoved him off.

"Explain what?" Jessica laughed coldly and turned to the cameras. "Here she is, everyone. The slut who's been sleeping with my husband."

I cursed under my breath. This woman was insane.

Bringing reporters? She was trying to ruin her own husband's reputation.

Simon saw the cameras and started panicking. He cared more about his image than anything.

The next second, he spun around and pointed at me. "She seduced me. I never wanted her. She's been chasing me for months."

He shoved me hard.

My heels couldn't keep up. I went down hard, my head smacking against the corner of a wall.

Pain exploded across my forehead. Warm liquid dripped down past my eyebrow.

Simon, you piece of trash, I thought, mentally cursing him out.

"Beat her," Jessica said, looking down at me with satisfaction. "Cut up that pretty face of hers. Let's see who she seduces after that."

Two guards grabbed my shoulders. Another pulled out a folding knife.

I closed my eyes and bit down hard on my lip.

At that moment, I thought about giving up.

Then a squad of bodyguards in black surged in and took down Jessica's men in seconds.

The guy with the knife got kicked in the chest before he even knew what hit him. The knife clattered to the floor.

Raul walked out of the room behind me and surveyed the scene.

"Mrs. Hayes. Even dogs deserve better treatment than this," he said coolly.

Everything stopped.

Jessica's face went pale when she saw Raul.

Simon actually dropped to his knees. "M-Mr. Kingston..."

The reporters were smart enough to turn off their cameras the moment Raul appeared.

Raul ignored them completely. He walked over to where I lay on the floor, looking down at my pathetic state.

"Little liar," he said, amused. "Beg me, and I'll take you out of here."

I lay on the floor, blood dripping into my eyes.

What a time for this guy to start making demands.

"Please..." I grabbed the leg of his pants.

Raul laughed softly and scooped me up in his arms.

"Good girl." He carried me through the crowd without looking back.

I glanced over my shoulder. Simon and Jessica were frozen, too scared to say a word.

At the hospital, Raul stood silently by while the doctor stitched up my forehead.

"Three stitches. You got lucky—almost took out your eye. Might leave a small scar," the doctor said.

I snuck a look at Raul. His face was unreadable.

He took me back to his place and left without a word.

The second he was gone, I jumped out of bed, ignoring the sting in my forehead.

I pulled out my laptop and plugged in the USB drive.

This was the real prize from two months of working for Simon.

Evidence of Hayes Corporation's tax evasion. Money laundering through shell companies. Enough to put Simon away for years.

I'd kept it as insurance. Now it was time to use it.

I encrypted the files and sent them to Jessica's personal email.

The message just said, [Two million.]

My phone rang within seconds. "Nina, you wouldn't dare—"

"Mrs. Grant." I cut her off before she could work herself up. "It's a free country. We've got laws.

"I've already filed a police report for assault. That's a serious crime. And with what I just sent you, how long do you think your husband keeps his job?"

A full minute of silence. "How much?"

"Three million." I leaned back on the couch. "For my pain and suffering. And for keeping quiet."

"Are you insane? You just said two million!"

"Two million was then. This is now." I touched the bandage on my forehead. "I got three stitches. Seems fair to me."

"Nina!"

"Mrs. Grant." I crossed my legs. "You don't have to pay. But you know I don't care about burning bridges."

"Fine. You get the money. But you destroy everything. All of it!"

"Of course," I said sweetly. "I have professional standards."

I hung up. Thirty minutes later, I got the notification.

I stared at the numbers on my screen and counted the zeros twice.

The pain in my forehead disappeared.

Between what I'd taken from Simon and now this, I had over six million in cash.

More than enough to buy a nice house somewhere quiet, maybe hire a couple of good-looking personal trainers, and live comfortably for the rest of my life.

That night, I was waiting on the couch when Raul came back.

"Mr. Kingston." I gave him my best professional smile. "Thanks for saving me earlier."

Raul paused while untying his tie. His eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

"I'm leaving." I met his eyes. "My reputation is ruined in this town. Staying here would just cause problems for you."

"And," I added honestly, "I've done enough of this. Time to start fresh somewhere else."

Raul didn't respond. He pulled off his tie, tossed it aside, and walked toward me slowly.

I felt my confidence waver, but kept talking. "I know this was just entertainment for you. And with my face all beat up, I'm sure I'm not worth your time—"

He moved fast. Before I could finish, he grabbed my wrist and pinned me against the wall.

"Done enough? Nina, you used me, and now you want to run. Who gave you permission?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.