جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 25

Jonathan’s POVThe conference room felt smaller than usual.I sat at the head of the table, I couldn’t help but feel bored while the three lead investors sat across from me with matching looks of disapproval. Lisa stood near the window, her arms crossed, her face was blank.On the screen mounted to the wall, the video played on loop. Me, dragging a man from a car. Me, hitting him over and over while he lay defenseless on the ground.It looked bad. But did I give a shit? Nope.“Mr. Hart,” Mr. Chen said, his tone cold and formal. “Can you explain this?”“I was protecting my employee,” I said calmly. “That man kidnapped her. He locked her in his car and assaulted her when she tried to leave. What you’re seeing is me ensuring her safety.”“By beating him nearly unconscious?” another investor, Mrs. Tan, asked sharply. “This is not how professionals handle conflicts, Mr. Hart. This is vigilante justice.”“Would you have preferred I called the police and waited while he drove off with her?”

Elena’s POVThe project was wrapping up faster than expected, and I couldn’t decide if that was a relief or a tragedy.In another week, maybe two, we’d be done. The construction was ahead of schedule, the investors were happy, and everything was falling into place exactly as it should.I should have been relieved. Excited, even. This meant we could finally leave and go to Singapore, get back to DC, and I could put some real distance between myself and whatever this complicated mess with Jonathan had become.But instead, I just felt tired. Tired of the drama. Tired of Lisa’s barely concealed hostility and the way she looked at me like I was an inconvenient obstacle, fuck hwr by the way. And I was even more tired of pretending I didn’t care that Jonathan had gone from hovering over me constantly to treating me like just another employee whose name he barely remembered.I told myself it was fine. That this was what I wanted, what I’d demanded.But it didn’t feel fine. It felt like I wa

Elena’s POV“What the hell is wrong with you?” I demanded the moment we were outside, the cool night air hitting my flushed face.Jonathan didn’t answer. He just strode toward the car, his jaw was set, and his entire body was rigid with tension.“Jonathan! I’m talking to you!”“Get in the car, Elena.”“No! Not until you tell me what the hell that was about!”He stopped, turning to face me, and the look in his eyes made my breath catch. I’d never seen him like this…wild, barely controlled, like he was holding himself back from doing something reckless.“Get in the car,” he repeated, his voice dangerously low.“Why did you drag me out of there?”“Because I couldn’t watch it anymore.”“Couldn’t watch what?”“You!” He shouted, running a hand through his hair. “I couldn’t watch him touching you, looking at you like that, like he had no right…”He stopped himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.“Get in the car,” he said again, quieter this time. “Please.”I don’t know why him sa