Page 48 of The Billionaire's Marriage Dare

Jane managed a smile, but her eyes remained on Christian. He had to know she didn’t give a damn about any of those people. “Christian?”

“They have a couple of questions they’d like to ask of you—-”

She cut him off. “Christian?”

“We’re hoping you’d be amenable—-”

“Christian!”

And this time, her voice broke a little.

Christian’s lips compressed.

The bubble had burst, Jane thought numbly.

She didn’t understand how it happened, much less why, but she only knew that it had. It was a slap in the face, a stab in the heart, a slice to the jugular. It was all that and more.

But even so—-

She couldn’t help trying one more time. “Christian?” And this time, his name came out in a whisper devoid of disguises, a whisper so raw that it had Jared swearing and everyone else in the room looking away, their discomfort on her behalf written all over their faces.

But Christian still didn’t speak, and she stammered painfully, “C-Christian?”

A thousand questions echoed in those two syllables.

Why won’t you even say hi?

Why won’t you even let me touch you?

Why won’t you even look at me?

Just one last time, Jane told herself doggedly.

“Christian—-”

His head finally snapped towards her, and her voice caught, Jane realizing she had misjudged her capacity for pain.

“Enough of this.” His voice was hard, his accent pronounced, and his azure gaze was filled with so much contempt it had her stumbling back a step.

He started speaking again, and soon the agent and the lawyer joined him, the three of them forming what felt like a circle of damnation around her. This time, they were all talking, but this time she no longer cared. This time, she just wanted to cover her ears and scream at them to shut up.

Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!

Couldn’t they at least give her one damn moment while her heart shattered into pieces?

Chapter Eleven

Aone-way mirror into the interrogation room allowed Christian and Jared to watch the ongoing interview between the FBI agent and Jane. Inside with them were her attorney and Christian’s legal representative, both of them wearing stoic expressions on their faces.

Both lawyers had told him on separate occasions that they strongly believed Jane Cooper had nothing to do with the breach, which was now a matter of national security due to recently discovered circumstances.

But even so, Christian had still OK’d Agent Thornton’s request for an interview.

Because it was protocol, he told himself. That was all there was to it, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he had this inexplicable need to give Jane every reason to distance herself from him.

Beside him, Jared said flatly, “You can’t possibly think she’s the culprit.”

“I’m only being thorough.” Christian’s tone was devoid of emotion. “You’ve seen the results of the preliminary investigation. Practically every possible angle pins the blame on her.”

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