Page 42 of Tempting My Billionaire Master

Crimson droplets speckled the stark white cabinets and stainless steel counters of Amanda’s clinic, a gruesome Pollock painting come to life.

The gunshot still echoed in my ears, rattling my bones. I blinked hard, trying to reconcile the scene in front of me. It was all fake, I knew that, and yet…

Seeing Ethan like this, even in pretense, made my stomach churn, bile rising in my throat.

I turned to Gordon. “When you film this, make sure you move around a bit. It’ll be harder to focus on the details that way.”

Gordon stared at me, eyes hollow. Then he blinked and seemed to shake himself. Nodding jerkily, he pulled out his phone and began filming Ethan’s body, circling around for a few agonizing seconds as the rest of us pressed against the far wall to give him space.

Satisfied, he stopped recording and checked the video. His gaze met mine. “You need to keep this secret for twenty-four hours. That should give me enough time.”

“Okay,” I agreed. My words sounded confident even as my knees threatened to buckle. As he headed for the door, he paused and turned back to face me. “Is Ethan going to be okay?”

“Yes,” I assured him. “He will.”

“Good,” he murmured before leaving the room.

Elisabeth let out a theatrical sigh. “What a day!” she exclaimed, smoothing her wig.

“Tell me about it,” Amanda grumbled, already pulling on a fresh pair of gloves. “Now, I need to get him cleaned up and hooked back up to the IV and oxygen.”

“You did wonderfully, dear,” Mary said, patting Amanda’s arm. “We couldn’t have pulled this

off without you.”

Suddenly a loud screech of tires shattered the silence outside, followed by the pounding of footsteps. My heart leapt into my throat as the door burst open—but instead of Gordon, three deputies stormed in, guns drawn. Their eyes widened at the sight of Ethan’s bloodied body on the floor. “What on earth—?” Patrick asked, his voice shaking. “We heard the gunshot.”

“Everything’s fine now,” I said quickly, trying to keep my own voice steady. “The killer was here, but he left.”

Patrick raced to his grandmother’s side, his face etched with worry. “Nana, are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“Stop fussing over me, boy!” Susan swatted him away impatiently. “Help Amanda get him back on the bed!”

Together, Patrick, Amanda, one of the deputies, and I managed to lift Ethan’s limp form onto the bed. The remaining deputy pulled out his radio and spoke into it urgently. “Attention all units, be on the lookout for a potential suspect who may be armed. Last seen near Pinegrove Medical Center. Suspect is considered dangerous, approach with caution.”

Once Ethan was settled, IV drip replenished and oxygen mask in place, Patrick rounded on me with blazing eyes. “This has gone too far, Chloe, and I won’t stand by anymore. I’m reporting this to the chief, and I don’t care what you say.”

“Nice to see my grandson finally acting as a real man,” Susan remarked dryly.

“Damn right,” Amanda smiled as she adjusted Ethan’s IV. “We could use more of them around here.”

Patrick’s cheeks flushed, but he didn’t waver as he left the room, clutching his radio.

Amanda wiped her hands on a nearby towel as she turned to face me, her expression a mix of exhaustion and curiosity. “You know, Chloe,” she began, “I usually mind my own business, but I have to say that this is a first for me—staging a murder. You’ll have to tell us everything later.”

“Absolutely,” Mary chimed in, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Count me in too,” Elisabeth added.

Susan chuckled, folding her arms over her chest. “If only you’d all listened to me from the start, none of this would have been necessary.”

I couldn’t help but smile at them. “You know what? I’d be happy to spend more time with you ladies after all this is over.”

A sudden shout and commotion from the waiting room made us jump. The remaining deputy sprang to his feet, hand flying to his gun, eyes alert and focused on the door. My pulse skyrocketed.

“Stay here,” he warned us, before cautiously stepping out into the hallway.

Seconds later Patrick reappeared, his face tense and serious. “We got him,” he announced. “He was hanging around the library looking suspicious and Ronny arrested him.”

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