Page 118 of My Damaged Protector

I look between him and Olivia. My eyes drift to Sheila, and I see that she wants me to tell him the truth, too.

Damn it.

“She’s my daughter,” I say and watch his face move from surprise, to hurt, then questions.

“Is she….” He trails off, unable to finish the words, but I understand what he wants to ask. It's the very reason Olivia insists he stays, too.

“No,” I say.

There's no reaction from him, except a nod. I glance at Olivia, and she looks away from me, burrowing her face back in Sheila's bosom.

Damn. How much hurt am I going to have to put her through until all this ends?

Ian’s phone vibrates from a message, and he checks it.

“We can go now,” he says and starts to walk back to his truck. I enter my car and drive after him as he goes down a sloppy road.

The farther we drive, the more familiar the road we're taking becomes.

This is the Gabriel Estate property. How does Ian have a place here?

When we get in front of the gate, it opens immediately to us. I glance back at Sheila for a split second to see if she shares my thoughts. All I get from her is a well-perfected blank face.

She knows something.

Facing the road, I enter the gate behind Ian and follow him as he drives us through the estate until we get to the very end.

While I'm familiar with the estate, I've never been to the part of it where Ian stops. The moment he gets out of the truck, a middle-aged woman comes out of the mansion.

“Mr. Peele, welcome back,” she says with a smile on her face. From her dress I can tell she's a staff member. What I don't understand is why she's calling him Mr. Peele with a tone that says he's her boss.

Is he?

Shit, that billionaire thing he said a couple of weeks back! I thought he was joking!

“Thank you, Elise. Is the bungalow ready as requested?”

“Yes, sir. Do you need help with anything else?”

“Just the bags. Take the ladies in the car inside the bungalow. Sarah and I will be in the mansion,” he says.

All I can do is stand dazedly and watch him be something I never thought I'd ever see him be: a boss.

Am I crazy for thinking he's so hot right now?

Focus, Sarah. You have problems to solve.

Right.

Shaking out of my silly trance, he motions for me to follow him inside the house.

It's a big house. A beautiful one, too. He leads me to a room that's not the primary bedroom but looks luxurious regardless and holds the door open for me to go in. I can't take it anymore, so I ask him the question that's been on my mind as I enter the room.

“Whose house is this?”

He smiles at my question, one of his hands lazily going to the back of his head to ruffle his hair up.

“It's a long story, and I'll tell you about it later. All you need to know for now is that you're safe here. I mean either the mansion or the bungalow. The estate is protected. Okay?”

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