Page 145 of Guarded King

The click of the door barely registers as I scan the second headline.

King Family Faces Renewed Scrutiny After Maxwell King’s Passing.

I scrub my hand over my face.

A notification pings, and I tear my eyes away from the headlines. Chloe’s flagged an email for my attention—a message fromForbesrequesting a follow-up interview to discuss how Dad’s death is impacting the company.

Fucking great.

My intercom buzzes and Chloe’s voice comes over the speaker. “Katherine King is here to see you, Mr. King.” Her voice is so neutral, it hurts.

What the hell is she doing here? I roll my neck to ease the tension that’s become permanently embedded in my neck and shoulders.

“Let her in.” I’ll hear what she has to say then send her on her way.

I close my eyes and picture Chloe, using the image to center myself. I crave her—her sweetness, her calm. I want to send my ex-wife away and call Chloe in instead. Screw my rule about keeping things professional in the office.

But with the headlines from the newspapers looping through my head, I force the urge down. I need to get a grip—to wrestle back some of the control I used to pride myself on having.

The media scrutiny on both the company and me will be relentless for the foreseeable future. I should be focused on minimizing risk, not indulging my ever-growing need for Chloe.

The door swings open, yanking me from my thoughts. My ex-wife waltzes in, dress too short and too tight to be anything but deliberately provocative.

I don’t bother standing. “What do you want, Katherine?”

She sinks into the chair opposite me, crossing her legs in a way that’s meant to draw attention. “I’d like to attend the funeral.”

Fingers steepled, I blow out a slow breath. “Why? You haven’t spoken to my father in years.”

She sniffs, though there’s no real pain in her eyes. “Because he was my father-in-law—and my previous boss.”

“Not to mention your former lover.”

She bites her lip, adopting the doe-eyed look she used so often when we met—before I learned what lay beneath the innocent mask. “I told you that was a mistake. One I’ve regretted ever since.”

“So, you want to attend my father’s funeral, where you’ll come face-to-face with his ex-wife, the woman he cheated on with you?”

Annoyance flashes in her eyes. “She wasn’t exactly a saint herself.”

I shake my head, not bothering to hide my disdain. “Why do you really want to be there?”

Shoulders straightening, she meets my gaze head-on. “To stand in solidarity with you, of course. If I don’t go, it’ll draw attention to our less than amicable parting. That’s the last thingyou want right now, isn’t it? I’ve seen the newspapers. I’m sure you’d prefer not to give the media any more skeletons to dig up.”

I can’t be bothered arguing with her. The funeral’s just a formality anyway. I couldn’t care less whether Katherine turns up. I just want this whole circus over and done with.

“Fine,” I say. “Show up or don’t. I really don’t care.”

She doesn’t leave right away like I hoped. Instead, she stays seated, legs crossed, staring at me with those big brown eyes.

I rub the bridge of my nose, irritation spiking. “I’m losing patience. What do you want?”

“We had some good times, didn’t we?”

I shoot her a hard glance. I’m not interested in reminiscing. Now that I have Chloe, I can’t fathom how I ever fell for Katherine’s fakeness. Chloe is genuine. Everything she does comes straight from her heart and I fucking love that about her. At the same time, I hate how it leaves her vulnerable.

All the turmoil in my life has the potential to hurt her and that’s the last thing I want. My ex-wife’s renewed interest in me only underscores my concerns.

I stand and walk around my desk. Katherine perks up, as if she thinks I’m about to pull her into my arms. I head straight past her.

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