Semua Bab A Deal With Mr.. Remington: Bab 11 - Bab 17

BLAKE“Good evening, everyone.I wasn’t supposed to give a speech tonight. In fact, I only found out a short while ago. But sometimes, the best words are the ones that come straight from the heart, not planned, not polished, just honest.I stand here not just as Mrs. Remington… but as a woman who knows what it means to struggle, to be pushed into hard choices, and to rise anyway.This company, my father’s company, went through a storm. A hard one. And truth be told, I didn’t know if we’d survive it. But we did. Not just because of numbers or money, but because of people. People who refused to give up. People who showed up. People who believed that something broken could be rebuilt.I want to thank every person in this room who stood with us, who chose to invest in more than a business, who chose to invest in hope.And to every young woman watching tonight, or even hearing about this tomorrow, I want to say this: You don’t have to be loud to be strong. You don’t have to be perfect to b

Jasmine’s POVI didn’t want to do this. I really didn’t.Standing in front of the mirror, I stared at my reflection. My hair was done. My face was painted with soft makeup. I wore the dress Blake had picked out for me a week ago. It was black. I was happy when he handed me the bag but I didn't show it. It was a backless, tight gown and it clung to every part of my body. I looked beautiful, yes. But inside, I felt cold. I didn’t want to go to this stupid party. I didn’t want to pretend to be in love with a devil. Not after everything Blake did. Not after the rain.I still remembered that night. The sound of the rain pouring. The way my body had shaken in fright, the way my heart had raced, and Blake...letting me out of the car like he didn't care. Like he hadn't seen what it was doing to me. He used it against me. He did it on purpose. And now, I had to smile and hold his hand in front of rich strangers?I had called Julia in the morning after I got to work, and told her about what Bla

JASMINEAfter the incident at the elevator, I could tell Blake was still mad. He didn’t say it out loud, but I knew. His jaw was tight, and he hadn’t smiled once since we left. I tried to ignore him. I sat beside him in the car as we left the office, but he didn’t even glance at me.He was mad because I spoke in the meeting. But I didn’t care. I had to speak. They were trying to break him down, and I just couldn’t sit there. I had to do something. And besides who knew if it was a test to know if the marriage was really standing...like what Caldwell had made us do. What if the executives suddenly got this weird idea about it..."You know the wife was sitting with her husband while we bash him left and right, and she didn't bother to say a word in his defense." If a word like this got out to the public, there was no way we were going to get off the hook so easily. And besides I always had a thing for bullies like the executive and I hate to watch people close to me insulted. Not like Bl

Jasmine’s POVThe rain had slowed down, and the thunder was not so loud anymore. I was still in the living room, curled on the couch with my favorite blanket and a fantasy romance book in my hands. The title was Zodiac Academy. I had just gotten to the part where everything was getting heated — The Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac — and I couldn’t put it down. I was fully inside that world, far away from the thunder outside or the weird tension in this house.Blake stood up and stretched. He looked toward the kitchen and then back at me.“I’m going to check the power box,” he offered. “Maybe I can fix the lights.”I nodded without looking up from my book. “Go be a man, honey,” I said with a small smile.He rolled his eyes and walked off. I kept reading. My heart was still beating fast...not from the storm, but from the part of the book where the main character was surrounded by her enemies-turned-lovers. And the fact she wanted all of them, and not just one. I was thoughtful of how a norma