Page 42 of Jack's Devotion

"Husband?" He glances at me sharply, his gaze falling to my ring finger. "You're married?"

Yeah, you jerk. I am, and you know exactly what that means for you. Even if you kill me now, you get nothing.

"I am." I smile, cocking my head to the side. "In fact, I'm sure you know him. Jack Whitlock. Ring any bells?"

None of this has been satisfying at all. But the way he pales four shades before turning a sickly shade of green?That'ssatisfying.

"J-Jack Whitlock?" he stammers.

"Mmhmm," I hum.

He stares at me for a long moment before something flashes in his eyes. It's pure evil. Pure hatred. The sign of a man who knows he's lost but intends to fight anyway. One who intends to punish.

He takes a staggering step toward me, his hands raised like he plans to wrap them around my throat. There's no humanity in his eyes, nothing but rage.

"Jack!" I scream without hesitation, scurrying backward.

"Touch her, and I'll kill you where you stand, you miserable piece of shit," Jack snarls from behind him, charging out of the bathroom like an enraged bull. He plows into my father, knocking him to the ground.

He yanks my father's head back, plowing his fist into his face.

My father groans, listing to the side as blood pours from his nose.

I kind of expect Jack to keep hitting him, but he doesn't. He just tosses him aside like a ragdoll, stepping over him to get to me. I'm in his arms in a second, in my favorite cage.

"You okay, baby?" he asks, his face buried in my throat.

"Yeah," I whisper, clinging to him. "I'm okay." I glance over his shoulder at Dillon. "Did you get what you need, Dillon?"

"Yeah, sweetheart. I got it."

I sigh in relief, looking at my father. He's still on the floor, holding his bleeding nose. Jack was right. He isn't a monster. He's just a man. Just a miserable, greedy, selfish man. And now, he's beaten.

"I forgive you," I murmur to him. "I never want to see you again, and I hope you rot in prison. But I forgive you because I'm not going to be like you. I'm not going to let hate and anger define me and my life. I refuse to live that way or hurt people because I'm a miserable human being."

"Madison, wait," he pleads, reaching out for me.

Jack steps on his hand, bones crunching beneath his boot.

"I told you not to fucking touch her," he growls when my father howls in pain.

I'm not really surprised when no one comes to investigate his cries. Men like him? Well, no one really cares what happens to them. They're just glad when it finally does.

"If you're here today because you thought Drake was stepping down from the company, you're wrong," Jack says a few hours later, standing in front of a packed crowd in the foyer of his building. "We floated that story for a reason that's no longer entirely relevant. But what is relevant is this: Madison Laurent disappeared seven years ago to save her own life. Her father was plotting to kill her to gain control ofBellange Parfumand her inheritance."

A ripple of shock goes through the crowd.

"As of this morning, he's in jail. The man he hired to kill her will be testifying against him. We have recordings of him admitting to what he did." Jack's gaze cuts across the crowd. "My wife is safe."

"Did he say wife?" someone asks.

"Yeah, I said wife," he says, glancing toward the office where I'm hiding out of view. We considered having me up there with him to make this announcement, but at the end of the day, it's not the publicity I care about. It's the truth. And honestly? I'drather Jack tell it than have to be the one to do it myself. It's easier that way.

"Madison and I were married yesterday," he continues. "We probably would have been married years ago had none of this happened. She's home where she belongs, and she's safe. Come on out here, baby."

I swallow hard, slipping out of the little office to do my part. Everyone turns to look at me. I give them a nervous smile before taking Jack's hand, allowing him to pull me up against his side. It's not as terrifying as I expected. How could it be with him standing at my side?

"Madison! Will you be taking control ofBellange Parfum?"

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