All Chapters of The Betrayed Heiress: Chasing Her Back: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Patricia chimed in. “But aren’t we putting too many eggs in one basket? If Meridian fails, we’re stuck.”“The contract includes an exit clause if they fail to meet agreed upon standards for two consecutive quarters,” I explained, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. “We’re protected.”But Richard had recovered now, and he scoffed loudly. “Protected legally, perhaps. But what about our reputation? The moment consumers find out we’re partnering with a company that was involved in corruption we risk being associated with that scandal. Is that really a risk worth taking for marginally cheaper shipping?”“It’s not marginal… it’s a forty-three percent reduction-”“In an industry where public perception is everything,” Richard talked over me, “even the appearance of impropriety can be damaging. I move that we table this proposal indefinitely until we can explore partnerships with more reputable logistics companies.”“I second that,” Thomas added immediately.The room erupted into

JASON’S POVThe server set down the bottle and two glasses, then quickly retreated.The dancer stood near the door, her arms wrapped around herself protectively. I could tell she was new. The experienced ones knew how to play the game. This one just looked scared.It was perfect.I poured myself a generous amount of scotch and took a long sip, watching her over the rim of my glass. “Sit.”She hesitated.“On my lap,” I clarified, patting my thigh.She moved forward stiffly and perched on my leg, her body rigid, still not looking at me.I set down my glass and touch her face, tilting it toward mine. She flinched slightly but didn’t pull away.“What’s a pretty thing like you doing in a slum like this?” I asked, my thumb tracing her jawline. “You could do so much better and I can help with that, you know. I’m Julien James, you’ve probably heard of my family. We own half this city.”She nodded without a word, clearly wanting to be anywhere else.“I could set you up somewhere nice.” My thu

Jason reached out and hooked his finger under my chin, gently tilting my face up until I was forced to meet his eyes.“You’re better than this,” he said softly. “You know you are. This isn’t helping you heal. It’s just reopening the wound every single day.”My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. My lips trembled and I had to look away because his kindness was somehow harder to bear.“I know,” I whispered, and my voice cracked completely. “I know, but-”Jason pulled me into his arms before I could finish, one hand cradling the back of my head while the other wrapped around my waist. I sank into him, my hands clutching the back of his jacket as a single tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. “You’re going to get through this,” Jason murmured against my hair. “I promise you’re going to get through this. But you have to let yourself actually heal instead of picking at the wound.”I nodded against his chest, not trusting my voice.“Alessandra?” A voice echoed from the distance and I w

Lisa’s voice was incredulous. “You’re kidding, right? That’s got to be at least fifty files. There’s no way anyone could review all of that in-”“I’m just delivering what I was told to deliver, ma’am.” Eliza’s lips were pressed into a tight line. He clearly knew this request was unreasonable, but he was just following orders.White-hot rage flooded through me, burning away the grief that’d been clouding my mind all day. Of course Julien would pull something like this. “Lisa, I need you to wait here.” My voice came out through gritted teeth. I’ll be back shortly.”“Alessandra-”But I was already moving, striding past Eliza and out into the hallway. My heels clicked sharply against the marble floor as I headed toward the elevator, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.The elevator ride to the executive floor felt like it took hours. I watched the numbers climb… third floor, fourth floor, fifth floor… my anger building with each passing second.When the doors finally opened, I stor

“Jason?” I stood so quickly my chair rolled backward and hits the wall behind my desk with a soft thud. “What are you… how did you…”He walked into my office and set the bags he was holding down on the couch against the wall, then turned to face me with that gentle smile that made my exhausted brain go fuzzy.“Your mother called me,” he explained, moving toward my desk. “She asked if I could drop by on my way home from work. She was worried about you.”I groaned, pressing my palms against my face. “Of course she did. I’m so sorry, Jason. You really didn’t have to come all the way here.”My stomach chose that exact moment to emit a loud, prolonged growl that echoed in the quiet office.Jason’s laugh followed after. “Yeah, I can see you have everything under control here.”“Traitor,” I muttered at my stomach, but I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips.He retrieved the bags from the couch and started unpacking containers on the small coffee table. “Come on. Food first, work