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2026-04-21 23:01:34
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DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 138
JoanThe first sign that something was wrong came when my receptionist called my office and sounded like she regretted every life choice that had led her to this moment.I looked up from the file I’d been reviewing.“Everything okay?”There was a pause.A long one.The kind that immediately put me on edge.“No.”I frowned.The answer was honest, at least.“What happened?”Another pause.Then:“Your ex-husband is here.”The words landed like a stone in my stomach.Not because I was surprised.Because I wasn’t.Not really.I’d been expecting some kind of reaction ever since the documents had started surfacing.Ever since the stories about his finances began making headlines.Ever since investors started backing away from him.Dean wasn’t the kind of man who sat quietly while his life burned around him.He needed someone to blame.And I happened to be convenient.I leaned back in my chair.For a moment, I stared at the ceiling.The old version of me would’ve panicked.The old version wou
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 137
DeanBy the time I got home, I felt like I’d aged ten years.The drive back had been a blur of traffic lights, unanswered phone calls, and the increasingly uncomfortable realization that people were beginning to avoid me. Not the media. Not strangers online. People I’d known for years. Men who had once returned my calls before the first ring finished. Men who had begged for meetings and invitations and introductions.Now they were suddenly unavailable.Busy.Out of town.In meetings.Anything except willing to speak to me.The hearing being moved forward should have been the thing occupying my thoughts.Five days.Five goddamn days.That was all Joan had managed to gain.Five days.Objectively, it wasn’t much.Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew something I didn’t.Victor’s involvement only made the feeling worse.The old bastard had always been dangerous when he was quiet.And lately he’d been very quiet.I parked in the driveway and sat there for a moment with the engine
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 136
The notification arrived at 9:17 in the morning.I remembered the exact time because it was the moment my day started going to hell.Not that it had been going particularly well before then.I sat at my desk reviewing yet another report about declining investor confidence when my attorney called.The second I saw his name on my phone, irritation immediately settled in my chest.Lately, every conversation with him involved a new problem.A new complication.A new fire that needed extinguishing.I answered anyway.“What now?”There was a brief pause.Never a good sign.“The court approved the motion.”My eyes remained on the report in front of me.“What motion?”“The hearing.”I frowned.Then looked up.“What about it?”Another pause.Longer this time.“The judge agreed to move it forward.”For several seconds, I said nothing.The words didn’t immediately register.Not because they were complicated.Because they were unexpected.“Forward?”“Yes.”“How far?”His answer came immediately.
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 135
JoanThe courthouse looked exactly the same.I hated that.The same stone steps.The same glass doors.The same flags fluttering in the wind.The same people moving in and out as though lives weren’t being changed inside every single day.The same place where I’d lost Kai.I stood at the bottom of the steps for several seconds, staring up at the building.My stomach churned.My palms felt cold.My chest felt tight.And suddenly I was right back there.Standing outside the courtroom.Watching Dean walk away with my son.Watching Kai look back at me.Watching my entire world collapse.A warm hand touched the small of my back.Not pushing.Not steering.Just there.Grounding me.I looked sideways.Brandon stood beside me.Dark coat.Hands in his pockets.Expression calm.Steady.The same expression he’d worn every time I’d nearly fallen apart over the past few weeks.“You okay?”The question was quiet.Simple.I appreciated that he never asked if I was sure.Never asked if I wanted to le
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 134
The first time I realized I might have underestimated Joan, I dismissed the thought immediately.The second time, I couldn’t.By the third, I was throwing a crystal paperweight across my office.The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room.Nobody spoke.Nobody moved.My executive assistant stood frozen near the door.My legal team sat around the conference table looking like they’d rather be anywhere else.Smart people.All of them.Smart enough to know when to keep their mouths shut.Especially around me.I stared at the television mounted on the wall.The news anchor continued speaking.Calm.Professional.Completely unaware that she was one sentence away from becoming personally responsible for my migraine.“…additional allegations regarding financial misconduct have surfaced this morning…”I muted the television.Immediately.Because if I heard the phrase financial misconduct one more time, I was going to break something else.The room fell silent.My jaw clenched.My pu
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 133
For several seconds after Victor spoke, nobody moved.Nobody breathed.Nobody said a word.The room that had felt almost victorious only moments ago suddenly seemed much smaller.Much quieter.My heart was pounding hard enough that I could hear it.Dean just made his move.The sentence repeated itself inside my head.Again.And again.And again.“What move?”The question left my mouth before I could stop it.Victor looked toward me.Then Brandon.Then back to me.For a moment, I genuinely thought he wasn’t going to answer.The old man had an irritating habit of withholding information for dramatic effect.Unfortunately, this didn’t look like one of those moments.This looked worse.Finally, Victor exhaled.“He called a press conference.”I blinked.Then blinked again.“A what?”“A press conference.”For several seconds I simply stared at him.Waiting for the rest.When it didn’t come, I frowned.“That’s it?”Victor’s eyebrows rose.“That’s it?”“Victor, you made it sound like he decla
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 089
~~Brandon~~I see it the moment she steps in.That brief pause. That almost imperceptible falter in her steps as her eyes land on me. It’s quick—so quick most people wouldn’t catch it—but I do. I see the surprise flash across her face before she schools her expression, and then comes the hesitation
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 087
Lunch ends in a blur I don’t entirely register, the conversation around me continuing in fragments that I catch but don’t quite absorb, my attention too divided between the weight of Brandon’s words and the quiet, persistent awareness of him beside me. I respond when necessary, nod when appropriate
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 086
~~Joan~~I push the door open and step into the diner without looking back, even though every instinct in me is telling me to. The bell above the door chimes softly, far too cheerful for the way my chest feels tight and unsettled, and I tell myself it’s ridiculous to feel this way—embarrassed over
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 085
My phone pinged just as we stepped out of the store, the sound cutting through the low murmur of the street and the faint hum of traffic in a way that made me instinctively reach for it. I didn’t think much of it at first—just another notification, another interruption—but the moment I pulled it ou
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