Alle Kapitel von The CEO's Toxic Placeholder : Kapitel 11 – Kapitel 20

"Always," I whispered. "He's always been like this." Jasper stepped further into the room. Closed the door quietly behind him. "Tell me," he said. So I did. I sat on the bed and let myself really think about it. Really look at the past three years without the excuses I'd made. "The first time we went out to dinner," I started. "He picked the restaurant. Ordered for me without asking what I wanted. I thought it was romantic. Confident." Jasper said nothing. Just listened. "He'd cancel plans at the last minute. Always for work. Always important meetings. But if I had to cancel, he'd get upset. Say I didn't prioritize him." I kept going. "He'd criticize my clothes. Gently. With a smile. 'That dress is nice, but wouldn't the blue one be better?' 'Your hair looks pretty down, you should wear it like that more often.' Little things. Constant little things." Jasper's jaw tightened but he stayed quiet. "He never remembered things I told him. My cases at work. My friends' names. What

I stared at him. He'd guided the investigation. Made sure they found what they needed to find. That was... that was manipulation. Interference. I should've been horrified. Instead, I felt... satisfied. "Good," I said quietly. Jasper's eyebrows rose. "Good?" "Yes. Good." I stood up. Paced to the window. "Henry's been lying. Cheating. Stealing from people. He deserves to be caught." "Eleanor—" "No, I mean it." I turned to face him. "How many people has he hurt? How many investors trusted him with their money and he just... just used them?" "A lot," Jasper said quietly. "Then he deserves whatever's coming." My voice was getting stronger. Harder. "And if you helped make that happen, then thank you." Jasper studied me. Like he was seeing something new. "You're not upset?" he asked. "I'm upset that he did it. I'm not upset that you caught him." I crossed my arms. "There's a difference." "Most people would be uncomfortable with the methods I used." "I'm not mos

I was out of bed in seconds. Threw on clothes. Jeans. Sweater. Grabbed my coat. My office. Henry was at my office. With someone. I called a car. Paced while I waited. My mind racing. Who would he bring? Vivienne? His lawyer? The car arrived. I got in. "Faster, please," I told the driver. Traffic was terrible. Every red light felt like an hour. Finally, we pulled up to my building. I practically ran inside. Through the lobby. Up the elevator. The doors opened on my floor. I could hear voices immediately. Loud voices. I walked down the hallway toward my office. A small crowd had gathered. Colleagues standing around. Pretending not to stare but definitely staring. My colleague Jennifer saw me first. Relief flooded her face. "Eleanor, thank god." "Where are they?" "Conference room. Security put them there to get them out of the main area." She lowered her voice. "Eleanor, his mother is... intense." His mother. Angelina Ashcroft. I should've guessed. I squared my shoul

Jasper showed me to the guest room. It was beautiful. Soft gray walls. White bedding. Everything clean and simple. "There are clothes in the closet," he said. "Different sizes. Help yourself to whatever fits." I nodded. Too tired to ask questions. "There are toiletries in the bathroom. Towels in the cabinet. If you need anything else, I'm just down the hall." "Thank you." He started to leave. Paused at the door. "Eleanor?" "Yes?" "You're safe here." His voice was firm. "Nothing and no one can get to you. Not tonight." Something in my chest loosened. "Okay." He left. Closed the door quietly behind him. I stood there for a moment. Just breathing. The room smelled clean. Like fresh laundry and something expensive. I went to the closet. Found pajamas. Soft cotton. They fit perfectly. The bathroom was marble and chrome. Spotless. I brushed my teeth. Washed my face. Changed into the pajamas. Then I climbed into bed. The sheets were cool and soft against my skin. I closed m

Morning came too quickly. I woke in the guest room. Sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows. For a moment, I forgot where I was. Then it all came back. Jasper's confession. His orchestration of everything. I checked my phone. 7:23 AM. A text from Jasper. [Good morning. Coffee's ready in the kitchen when you wake up.] I got up. Showered. Changed into the spare clothes I'd worn yesterday. I'd need more clothes. Couldn't keep wearing the same things. In the kitchen, Jasper was already dressed. Suit perfectly pressed. Reading something on his tablet. He looked up when I entered. "Good morning." "Morning." He poured me coffee without asking. Added cream. Two sugars. He'd been paying attention. "How did you sleep?" he asked. "Better than I expected." "Good." He set a plate in front of me. Toast. Fruit. Simple. We ate in silence. Not uncomfortable. Just quiet. "I'll have someone collect your things from the hotel today," Jasper said finally. I looked up. "Why?" "Beca