Page 76 of The Bossy Billionaire

“Are you okay?” I ask. She has a hell of a bruise on her cheek and her wrist is wrapped.

“Much better than you.” I can see the tears in her eyes that are yet to fall and my chest hurts all over again.

“Don’t cry, baby. Tell me what happened.” I still can’t connect the dots.

“It was dark, we were outside Bloomers…” She continues, taking in a breath as I try to collect my thoughts and pull from my memories. They are all flooding back now as she explains. “Dwayne was being aggressive, and he pushed me into an oncoming car. But you pushed me out of the way and took the impact.” Her voice stalls, and I watch her swallow.

“No wonder my body aches everywhere. Did the driver stop?” I ask her.

“No. Hit and run, but I got a look, and we have video footage. It was all a setup. Unbeknownst to me, Dwayne is the son of my neighbor, Terry Jones. Turns out, Terry wanted to expand his business. He wanted the Bloomers building, but knew I would never sell, so he has been trying to scare me out of the property in the hope that I would sell it for a cheaper price. Apparently, my death would have made it easier as well.” I take a breath and look at her. She has dark circles under her eyes, and her hair is tied up, but she is still the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on.

“He was the one who has been harassing you, isn’t he? The electrical cables, the rock through the window?” I ask her, already putting it together.

“Yes. It was him all along, just like I thought it was,” she says quietly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, not angry but hurting, because I could have saved her from it all.

“I didn’t think anyone would believe me,” she says in a whisper, and my heart thuds.

“I will always believe you. I am always on your side,” I tell her, wanting it to sink in, but knowing it may take time.

“I was going to tell you. That night in New York…” Her words drift off, and I feel the stab of remorse that penetrates my gut. Amy.

“What’s Amy got to do with all this?”

“When Dwayne and Terry noticed you around me, they needed you gone. They needed me alone. No witnesses. So he found Amy, offered her money, and she came to help them. You were right about her. It was all about the money,” Lucy says solemnly.

“She is now assisting the police. Ben said she will be charged later today. They dismantled most of the cameras, but forgot about one, and it captured it all. We have all the evidence the police need.”

“There was never any baby,” I say, remembering the words that were said outside Bloomers, and I breathe out, feeling a weight lifted, but also a little sad and confused. It is all so fucked up.

“I’m sorry, Huxley,” Lucy says, and I want to hold her. I want this woman in my arms. “You just need to promise me something.”

“What?” My heart thuds at the look in her eyes.

“Never step in front of a car for me again. When I saw you lying on the street, I thought you had died. I thought…” she says, but then the tears fall freely, and she sobs. I pull at her hand and bring her to me, holding her to my chest. My ribs burn, but I don’t care.

“Sorry, baby, but that is a promise I can’t make. I would step in front of that car a hundred times over, as long as you were saved,” I tell her, swallowing as my own eyes start to water. I run my hand up and down her back, and we stay connected for a beat before she sits up, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

“So do the police have Dwayne and Terry too?” I ask, feeling anger at myself for not finding out about Dwayne sooner. I knew there was something up with him. Never in a million years did I think he would be capable of murder.

“Yeah. I managed to call the police. My brothers all came. The streets were blocked off. It was crazy. Harrison stepped in, Ben and Tennyson handled it with the police. Katie and Eddie have been by my side. All three of them will serve time. I did a full police interview yesterday. Willow is doing major media containment because of the campaign. The media are having a field day. They…” Her voices wavers, and I see more tears form in her eyes.

“What? What is it?” I ask, my stomach in my throat.

“Terry came clean in his interrogation yesterday. He has done a hit and run before…” she says, her tears again falling down her cheeks, and my heart breaks as it dawns on me.

“Your parents?” I ask her quietly, wishing I was wrong.

“Yeah. Apparently, he has wanted my building for a while and thought killing them would open up the opportunity for him to swoop in and buy it. He didn’t count on me wanting to remain at Bloomers and make it my own. He got away with it once, so he thought he would try again.”

“Oh baby, I am so sorry.” I wish I could take away all the pain she has endured. I am going to make it my life’s mission to ensure she never has to endure anything like this again.

“It’s a lot. The last few days have been a nightmare, really.” My hand rubs her back, and I pull her close, wishing I wasn’t in this stupid bed, and I could pull her into my arms.

“Days?” My brow crumples, catching on to her words.

“You have been out of it for a few days. You have broken ribs and a ruptured spleen. They had to do an operation to ensure there was no internal bleeding. You had a bump to your head, so they sedated you to give you a few days to heal properly. Your parents are here too. I just sent them down to grab some lunch.” I pull her hand up to my lips and kiss her fingers. No wonder my body hurts. “The doctor will be in soon, but all things considered, we survived pretty well,” she says, a soft smile on her beautiful face. I can’t believe after everything she has been through and everything she has lost, she can still smile for me. God, I love this woman.

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