Alle Kapitel von DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG : Kapitel 11 – Kapitel 20

But as soon as Brandon entered the room, he was up and running to him. "We're going to get ice cream! Come with us!" He ran back to me. "Mama, can Brandon come with us?!" I wanted to say no, but his eyes were so wide his lower lip jutted out, a look that was so irresistible, I found myself caving. "If he says yes, then he's free to join us." Was that what they called the puppy dog eyes? I couldn't believe my son was old enough to understand how to use such manipulative skills. I stood as Kai returned to Brandon. He grabbed his arm, pain in his finger all forgotten. "Mama said you can come along! You have to join us now!" "Kai Christopher," I scolded softly, "what did I say about persuasion? Let him decide for himself." His head dipped, and he dropped Brandon's arm. "Sorry, mama. Sorry, Uncle Brandon." Brandon smiled. "It's fine. I'd love to come." His expression picked up, but it didn't have the same light as before. It made me feel terrible. I opened my arms to him.

DeanI was reviewing quarterly reports in my office for the third time that week, trying to ignore the dull headache pounding at my temples, when the notification popped up on my phone: "Joan Lancaster and Brandon Hamilton spotted with a child—exclusive photos inside." I immediately dropped everything aside and picked up the device. Then, I opened the link.And there she was. Joan. My former wife. Sitting in some casual restaurant, hair pulled back, sunglasses off, face relaxed. And there was a little boy seated beside her, between her and Brandon. But that wasn't what had bothered me. I was how familiar the boy looked. I knew I'd seen him that day with her at the parking lot, but another sense of familiarity clawed at me. Who was that boy?I zoomed in on the pictures. Something about his face struck me too hard to ignore. Something about his blue eyes and those thick eyebrows that, when I observed closely, looked like...My blood ran cold.I froze.My mind refused to process the

~~Joan~~The next morning, I found Victor in the kitchen before the sun had fully risen.He wasn't surprised to see me that early. It had become a habit for both of us. "Dean's investigator followed me yesterday. A black sedan," I said without preamble, accepting the black coffee he handed me. Victor didn’t sit. "How long?" "I couldn't tell. But it was long enough to confirm." I took a sip. "I approached him." He paused, his cup halfway to his lips. Then a faint smile followed. "I made him admit it," I continued. "Then I told him to feed false information back. I haven't decided what yet. It has to be believable." "And if he refuses?" "I doubt he would. I threatened him... and I also gave a mouth-watering offer. With Dean's financial situation, I'm certain what he offered wouldn't compare." Victor nodded slowly. "That's dirty. I like it." "I didn't think about it when threatening him," I admitted. "I just felt the need to protect Kai. It was louder than any morals I might've

~~JOAN~~The café was quiet enough to have a discussion in, but at the same time, noisy enough that others wouldn't hear what was being discussed. That was why I chose it. Mr. Arnold Franson and his partner, Ms. Eloise Laurent, were already seated when I arrived, even though I was five minutes early. They were a rising development firm, and they had that hunger to get to the top and remain there. But they didn't announce it as others did; they were quiet and let their acquisitions announce themselves. They were the competition you didn't realize you needed to worry about until it was too late. Just the kind of people my agency targeted. But they were also currently losing every luxury bid to Dean’s company."Ms. Lancaster," Arnold said, standing to shake my hand."Mr. Franson. Ms. Laurent."We sat without making any small talk. I preferred it that way. I'd come to learn that those who hoped to charm me with small talk had little to nothing to offer. "We’ve reviewed the plan you

The club was louder than anything I’d ever willingly entered. That was the first thing I had to say about it. But then we stepped inside, and I realized that it wasn't chaotic, not in the way I'd have expected of places like that. It was more like... organized chaos. Didn't mean I appreciated it, though. I definitely did not appreciate the way sweaty bodies rubbed against each other with careless abandon. After Victor finished with his attempt at a pep talk, I took two more minutes in his study to recollect myself. I'd had an epiphany in there, and I hadn't known how to react afterwards. But when I met Brandon in the car, he didn't seem upset or surprised at how long I took. He felt understanding, if that made any sense. Like he knew what Victor had said. "You’ve been here before?" I asked Brandon as he led me toward a staircase. "Yeah," he said. "I actually own it." My brows lifted. I was impressed. ...And I also inwardly took back any derogatory statements I might've made