All Chapters of Three-Years Contract Marriage with the Billionaire : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Julian.The notification came through at 9:47 AM.I was in the middle of a conference call with Tokyo when my phone lit up with a message from my head of security: Mrs. Blackwood entered NYPD precinct, East 51st. No advance notice. Marcus with her.I muted my microphone mid-sentence."Gentlemen, something's come up. My assistant will reschedule." I ended the call before anyone could respond.Marcus answered on the first ring."Where is she?" I didn't bother with preamble."Still inside, sir. She's been in there for forty minutes.""Did she tell you why?"A pause. "No, sir.""Did she tell you not to tell me?"A longer pause. "She asked me to keep it between us."I hung up.My hand was still on the phone when I realized I was gripping it hard enough to hurt. I set it down carefully and stared at my desk.Lena had gone to the police. Alone. Without telling me.I pulled up my laptop and accessed the security feeds.It took three minutes to find the right camera angle. The precinct had ext

JULIAN Someone told her you were going to the police."She went very still."Who knew?" I asked."Just me. And Marcus.""And whoever sent that text message."We both looked at her phone on the desk."Cassie," Lena said."Maybe. Or someone else." I pulled up the file on my laptop. "I'm having Bridget's finances investigated. If she's hiding money, I'll find it. And if someone's helping her, I'll find them too.""Why are you doing this?""Because she killed your mother.""You don't know her. You don't…""I know you." The words came out harder than I meant them. "I know you lived with that woman for twelve years. I know she took a photo of you the night of your mother's funeral and used it to threaten you. I know…"I stopped.Lena was staring at me."What photo?" she said.Fuck."Julian. What photo?"I pulled open my desk drawer. Took out the photograph I'd had restored and framed. Set it on the desk between us.Lena looked at it for a long time.Then she picked it up with shaking hands

LenaI must have dozed off because when I opened my eyes again, it was dark outside and someone was knocking on my door."Lena?"Mrs. Billy.I sat up. "Yes?""May I come in?"I unlocked the door.Mrs. Billy stood there with a tray. Tea. Toast. An apple cut into precise slices."You didn't eat dinner," she said."I'm not…""Hungry. I know. You're never hungry lately." She walked past me and set the tray on my nightstand. "But you're going to eat anyway because I didn't raise three daughters without learning how to deal with stubborn women."I blinked. "You have daughters?""Had." Her expression softened. "Two of them. Lost my youngest to cancer fifteen years ago. The other two are married with families of their own.""I'm sorry. I didn't know.""No reason you should." She straightened the tray. "But I know what grief looks like. And I know what it looks like when someone's trying to carry more than they can hold."I sat down on the bed. "I'm fine.""You keep saying that.""Because it's

JulianMy father walked into my office without knocking at precisely 9:47 AM.I was on the phone with my legal team discussing Bridget Carter's emergency motion. I held up one finger, wait, and kept talking.Thomas sat down in the chair across from my desk like he'd been invited.He hadn't been."I need those briefs by noon," I said into the phone. "And I want every precedent case where testimony was challenged on grounds of spousal influence. All of them.""Mr. Blackwood, that's a significant research…""Then get more researchers. Bill me whatever it costs."I hung up.Thomas smiled. "Still throwing money at problems, I see.""It works." I closed my laptop. "What do you want?""Good morning to you too, son.""It's not a good morning. Cassie violated the restraining order yesterday, Bridget's legal team is trying to suppress Lena's testimony, and I have a board meeting in two hours that I'm not prepared for because I've been dealing with my wife's homicidal family." I looked at him. "

LenaThe coffee shop on Fifth was busy at ten AM. Business people ordering complicated lattes, tourists photographing their pastries, the espresso machine screaming like it had grievances.I sat in the corner booth and tried to look like a person who hadn't spent the last two days unraveling.My phone sat face-down on the table. It had buzzed three times in the last ten minutes. I hadn't checked it. Checking meant seeing either silence from Julian or another message from Cassie, and I couldn't handle either option right now.The door opened and Nate walked in, all easy confidence and that smile that made strangers want to trust him with their secrets. He spotted me, waved, and headed to the counter.I watched him order, two lattes, something that made the barista laugh, and tried to arrange my face into something that looked normal.I was Mrs. Julian Blackwood. I'd survived twelve years of Bridget Carter. I could sit through one coffee meeting about a charity gala without falling apar