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***IF YOU LIKE TO READ THE MATURE VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE HEAD TO MY BOOK TITLED "MATURE CHAPTERS"

The long ride home was much needed. It gave me time to piece things together. I ran through every possibility, angle and scenario.

Scarlett put herself at risk. If it got out that she leaked this, we would have a bigger problem than Thomas or his father. It could potentially expose her to a new set of wolves.

Silent corporate partners that had a lot to lose if Anderson Corporation came crumbling down. I always heard the rumors of what these unknown partners were capable of. From the looks of it, these people had no boundaries. They would go to any lengths to discredit her.

I did what I could to make sure this leak wouldn't come back to her. But even with that, there were some things out of my control. There was no way to tell if someone got ahold of it before we could erase her involvement. It was now a waiting game to see how this played out in the media.

Whatever the scenario, I made sure we were prepared. Well, as prepared as we could be in this type of situation.

I gripped the handlebars, revving the engine faster than I should. I felt a gamut of emotions course through my system.

Anger, for Thomas slapping Scarlett. Guilt, for not hearing her out. Rage, because I couldn't kick his face in. Although the latter would make me feel so damn good, getting home to Scarlett was more important. She was now more a target than ever.

It doesn't help she hadn't answered my calls. I tried not to worry. Maybe she had fallen asleep. Regardless, I sped through the city. Stopping at the red light, a street from my penthouse, I checked my phone.

Nothing.

My nerves heightened as I came nearer and nearer. For the life of me, I could not shake the feeling I had. I was on edge. I knew it wouldn't go away until I saw her.

As I drove into my garage, I heard my house alarm sounding off. My blood went cold. I haphazardly put my bike in park and rushed to the door.

Time slowed as it swung open.

It's just your past, Elias.

I took a deep breath.

Scarlett's eyes widened, giving me a placating smile.

"I'm sorry. I got bored and wanted to watch something to kill time, "She shouted over the loud sirens. Biting her lip, she looked around. "And yeah I didn't know this was like a super mega universal remote that controlled everything." We both peered slowly at the blinds that were going up and down.

I exhaled.

Scarlett, you almost killed me.

My heart returned to a normal pace as I forced a relaxed demeanor. She slowly walked forward and handed me the control remote.

After five minutes of dealing with the operator from the alarm company, my penthouse returned to silence. I took off my gear and placed it in the entrance closet as she sat on the couch. She rubbed her lips together. "I'm so sorry."

I walked over to the couch and kneeled in front of her. My thumb ran across the edge of her bottom lip. "Tesoro, you have nothing to be sorry about."

She stared at me, inspecting the meaning of my words. I matched her intensity, even though looking at her felt like an arrow to the heart. The guilt weighed heavy on my chest. Thomas had slapped her, the secrets she held, and I just added on to her problems.

Her hand nudged my shoulder. She knew I was lost in my thoughts.

"Are you sure? The color seems to have drained from your face. How did the meeting go?"

Her question simmered in the air. Each second became more suffocating. Tonight, held more revelations than I expected. There was so much hope and lightness that beamed off her face. I didn't want to ruin it. A part of me wanted to wait and save it until tomorrow. But I respected Scarlett too much to lie to her.

Her eyebrows scrunched together. "What happened? Spit it out, no bullshit." I exhaled, I didn't know where to start. She gave me a knowing look and ran a hand through her hair. "You know."

My words lodged in my throat. I wondered what she thought I knew. After tonight, everything was pretty much out there. At least I hoped it was.

"I should have been there for you." I tilted my head down staring at the frayed fabric of her jean shorts. Then brought my gaze to her beautiful brown eyes and my heart clenched. This woman deserved the world, not this.

I swallowed harshly. "I want to spend the rest of my days making it up to you. I will make Thomas pay and whoever else. I'll make sure every day they wish they never messed with you."

Tears welled up in her eyes. I could see everything breaking behind them. "Don't look at me that way. That's the reason I didn't tell you!" She screamed. "I knew you would look at me like that. Full of pity and guilt! Like something broken, like something that needs to be fixed!"

God, That's the last thing I wanted her to feel.

"I don't pity you and I sure as hell don't think you're broken," I reassured her.

It was true. That never crossed my mind when I thought of her. But I know how she felt. It's a look I've grown accustomed to once people knew of my past. It's all they saw.

Her face turned to stone. Anger, frustration, pain and hurt erupting into flames before me. I wanted it all. I could care less If I got burned.

"So, because you feel guilty your what, going to wage a war for me? Ruin the good things, you have going for you? Do you ever think I don't want that sort of weight? You don't have to fight my battles, I can fight them on my own."

"Of course, I'd wage a war for you. You're the type of person that's worth raising hell for and that'd be my choice, my weight to bear." I said, my voice harsh.

We both stilled, the tension crackled between us. She shook her head, frustrated and pissed off like I didn't get her point. Standing, she maneuvered around me.

I got off my knees not being able to tell if she was leaving or going to pace the room. "How are you going to fight them? By putting yourself at risk, making yourself a bigger target?"

That got her attention. She stopped in her tracks and turned around. My attention briefly turned to her breasts as she crossed her arms under them. She mulled things over in her head.

Stepping a foot forward, she looked at me icily. "I can't just not do anything! I can't let them get away with what they did to her, my sister or anyone else! If anyone can bring them down, it's me. You have no clue—"

"Then tell me."

She doesn't think twice about it. Like a dam that broke loose, she told me everything. From Thomas confessing to her that Cain had threatened him with her life to the fact that she thought Cain was behind her sister's accident; about his intimidating tactics and threats and the exact details of her confrontation with Thomas at the hospital.

It all came out quickly and in typical Scarlett rant form. By the end of it, she was exasperated. Her shoulders relaxed, like speaking about this released a burden on her soul. I don't bother to push her further, I don't think my brain can digest any more information. This is a good start for now.

Her eyes contorted with anger, awaiting a response. Just as easily as I could read her, she read me. That said, she knew she wasn't going to like what I had to say. And though everything from her body language screamed 'spit it out already', I took some time to reel what she said.

My suspicions were confirmed. Thomas and Cain were both gunning for her. Two separate motives with two different executions. Everything from an emotional angle was Thomas, anything tactical was his father. I don't put anything past Cain, but Thomas slapped her, so really, I couldn't put anything past him either.

No matter how I threw the dice, I still thought there were better ways to handle this. Ways that don't put her in the line of fire.

I sucked in a breath. Here goes nothing. "What you did is brave. Standing up for what's right and exposing a horrible act that deserves justice is not for the feeble minded..." I trailed off, I wanted to choose my words wisely, but I sounded way too formal.

"The video is not enough. "I said flatly, ripping off the band-aid. Her mouth closed tightly, containing it all in but I could tell she's seething underneath it all.

"There is nothing concrete that proves that Anderson Corp. attempted to hide the evidence. It's all speculative. They are going to pin this on Benjamin Clarke and wipe their hands clean. Benjamin has motive and money to make something like that happen. If they find out you leaked this... we have bigger problems than just Thomas or Caine. We're talking about, a whole bureaucracy— greedy individuals and silent partners that will go to any lengths to save this company. This won't ruin them, they're going to go harder now that there's more at stake." My voice is measured and calm like I'm trying to defuse a bomb.

She let out a strangled noise that sounded like a scoff. We weren't always going to agree. Maybe, this was a prime example. There was too much at risk to tiptoe around this. We'd both have to suck it up and hear each other out.

Taking a slow and deliberate step forward, her eyes tightened. "Who do you think you are? Do you really think I don't know what I am up against? When Thomas was too drunk to stand, who do you think ran that company?"

I don't say anything. The fire burning wildly inside her was about to engulf us both. My words would be as productive as adding turpentine to a flame.

"I did!" She lashed out as if it was something she kept inside for way too long. Her fists clenched and unclenched. "The reason Anderson corporation even has legs to stand on is thanks to me."

Scarlett paused like she had finally admitted a cold hard truth. The type you hide at the back of your mind and don't want to confront. Maybe, Thomas had conditioned her to think that was just a part of love. When you're in a fog you don't realize things until it clears.

She took a relaxing breath, her hand in the pocket of her little high waisted shorts. "I don't need you to undermine my intelligence. I've already had my fair share of that. Trust me, I am painfully aware no matter how disgusting it is to swallow, that a video of a woman getting sexually assaulted is not enough. I know how they work, how they operate down to the way they think. I have a plan. So, don't mansplain this to me, like I'm some idiot who didn't think things through."

"I'm not trying to undermine your intelligence or mansplain this to you. I just can't stand behind the fact you put yourself at risk. I won't apologize for wanting to keep you safe. You of all people should know, shit doesn't necessarily add up there. Nothing seems to stick, and things always seem to conveniently fall into place. Thomas and Cain don't have that sort of power. So, who does?"

She absorbed my point then shook her head. "I should go."

Storming to the door, she pulled down the handle. With her brief hesitation, I closed it shut. The tension raised in my chest. "We won't always see eye to eye. But, If we're going to do this—us, we're going to do it right. We deal with shit together, as a team."

Her mouth opened then closed. Defense mechanisms wavering. I closed our distance.

She looked at the door handle then back at me. "I never had this, it's like going against the grain. You know, speaking of 'team'— Yours probably advised you to fire me. They probably told you to take your losses and find someone less complicated. I can't imagine them supporting— "

I guided her back slowly to the wall. "Shut up. "

I loved hearing her talk, but damn not having her lips on mine felt like defying gravity. I cupped her face and kissed her rougher than I intended. She parted her lips giving me access before separating. She ran her fingers across her mouth, her face held a look of shock with a heat of a million suns behind her eyes.

I put her hair behind her ear and leaned in. Her body tensed with anticipation, chest heaving. "I want your secrets, the good and the bad. I want it all, every part of you." My voice was raw and vulnerable, against her skin.

Then her lips were on mine. Sensual and warm. I could easily lose my fucking mind the way they moved against mine. It's like they were made for me, sending me spiraling, feening like an addict that couldn't get enough.

"Only if you promise to give me yours. I want your pain, every little thing." She said, her lips gently brushing against mine.

***⚠️Another subtle reminder that this chapter continues in my mature chapter book. Obviously only head there if you want to read mature content⚠️***