Page 32 of Challenging Her Protector

Who was he to deny her? “Sure.” He smiled, happy to indulge her newfound obsession of Mario Kart. Right now, he was her safe haven, but once she got her feet beneath her, he had no doubt she’d move on to bigger and better things, whether that included him was yet to be determined, but he hoped it would. She deserved to lead a life of her choosing, not one designed for her since birth. She had too much light, too much love to offer the world.

There was a sharp pain in his chest at the thought of her leaving. He knew he was taking a risk by opening his heart and it might come back to bite him, but he’d never ask her to stay. Doing so would go against every moral instinct he possessed. He was rough where she was soft. Broken where she was whole. He’d brought darkness to the world where she only cast light. Vee’s life could be anything she wanted it to be, and damned if he’d be the shadow dimming her sunlight. One way or the other, he planned to soak up every ounce of time spent with her.

Chapter Thirteen

Vivienne inched closerto Iron on the kitchen bench and looked at the computer screen positioned between them. Even though her meeting with Ransom’s lawyer was over video conferencing, she had asked Iron if he could join her to take notes. If he thought the request was odd, he didn’t show it. He simply nodded and retrieved a notepad and pen from a drawer in the kitchen. Maybe she was leaning on him too much, relying on him like she’d relied on others without question in the past. She wanted to be independent, but at the same time this was an important meeting. Vivienne was aware of her strengths and weaknesses well enough to discern that jotting things down while trying to listen would be hard.

“What are you thinking about?” Iron’s deep voice wrapped around her, and she had the sudden urge to lean closer. She craved more of yesterday’s heated kisses and soft touches, but both seemed to have woken with a renewed sense of caution surrounding their physical relationship. If she pushed her insecurities aside, she recognized that it was smart to slow things down, especially when her life was in such an upheaval. Hannah would probably think she was crazy, but she needed to talk to her sister about her feelings for Iron. It was strange to have someone aside from Thalia who cared about her best interest. People who wouldn’t just tell her their advice based on the money she’d earn. Her stomach churned when she let her mind think of all the terrible things Thalia might be going through.

“Vee?” he asked again, this time his voice was softer.

“Sorry.” She sighed and folded her hands together in her lap, giving herself something to do. “I was thinking of Thalia, and if I’m being honest, I was second-guessing myself. Wondering if I’m being dependent on you like I was with my parents and Scott.”

He was quiet for a moment, then spoke, gaze boring into hers. “I know it’s hard to wait for info from Red and Sully but know there’s no rock they’ll leave unturned. As soon as they have some new information, we’ll be the first to know. As for the second, there are different types of dependency. Could be learned helplessness. Maybe lack of confidence or anxiety that leads a person to look to others for help. What you had, though, that was forced dependency. Holding tight to your finances, cutting off your relationships and choosing who and what you could spend your time on. By controlling when you could eat and how much, when you could cancel a job, even when you were sick, stripped you of your freedom. They took away your sense of autonomy. The things they expected of you were not normal or healthy, Vee. Whatisokay is asking a friend for help. That’s not only okay, but smart, especially when you don’t want to miss something important.”

Friend.Out of all the reassuring words Iron had just spoken, that was the one that resonated the most. She wasn’t going to think too deeply about the hollow ache in her chest when he spoke the word. The gravity of their ocean kiss had shocked her, but it wasn’t like they had a real relationship. No promises had been given. No future to discuss. A question was on the tip of her lips when the face of a mature woman filled the screen. Her eyes were warm and sincere that matched the color of her hair, a riot of curls that stopped just above her chin.

“Good morning. I’m Linda Salazar of Salazar & Stone Attorneys at Law.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Vivienne Day and this is my friend Jordan Holt. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.”

“The pleasure is mine.” The woman gave her a genuine smile. “Despite our digital connection, I want to assure you that this is a safe and secure space to discuss your concerns. Why don’t you tell me what has led you to seek counsel, and we’ll go from there.”

For the next half hour, Vivienne explained how she came to be a model and influencer in her teens. That her parents had insisted on a joint account for her funds, and when she approached them several times as an adult to remove them, they refused. She’d also kept track of the amounts they removed from the account, in addition to how she’d set aside small amounts of her own funds in an online bank.

“In most situations, both parties on a joint account must sign an agreement for one person to be removed from the account. However, there is nothing stopping one party from removing the funds into a personal account.”

At the lawyer’s words, muscles Vivienne hadn’t even realized were clenched tight, loosened. “I can help move your money to another bank, if you’d like,” she said, leaning to the side to note something down.

Iron had been writing on his pad of paper since the meeting started. She could imagine how different the meeting would go if it were Scott sitting next to her instead of Iron. Her ex would’ve taken control of the meeting from the get-go and belittled her if there was something she didn’t understand. Iron sat silently, lending his quiet support and helped by taking notes like she’d asked. He didn’t assume that just because she’d asked for help in one area that she needed it in other parts of the call too. Iron made her feel respected and confident, like he believed she could make positive decisions on her own behalf—something she’d never experienced before. She had a feeling Iron wouldn’t dream of interfering with what she wanted, unless she was in danger.

“Yes, please. My parents always told me there was a withdrawal limit of ten thousand per day.”

“I’ll look into it, then we can start moving the funds.” The woman offered an encouraging smile.

The next part was something she’d been considering since she left the rehearsal dinner. He’d threatened her and Thalia, and she had no doubt that Scott and her family had everything to do with Thalia’s disappearance. While Scott’s text messages to her had started as almost pleading, they’d quickly turned furious. “There’s also the matter of my ex-fiancé. I’d like to take legal action against him for harassment and sexual assault.” She glanced at Iron; nervous she was doing the wrong thing.

At first, she’d thought it was enough to just escape their clutches, but in a few short days, she’d come to see how much she’d been abused by the people who should have had her best interest at heart. If Scott mistreated her, what was stopping him from doing it to someone else? Iron dipped his chin, though, and something that looked a lot like pride swam in the silvery depths of his eyes. “He has continuously sent threating text messages since I broke off our engagement, which my friends have been monitoring for me.”

“Please send me those messages, and I’ll get the paperwork started so we can have a summons served. We’ll need to file an order with the local court.”

“My personal attendant Thalia is missing since the rehearsal dinner after she left with my father. Scott said she’d been deported. The police are investigating her disappearance, but when she’s found…” Her voice broke. She refused to say the wordif. Iron put down his pencil and rested one of his palms on her leg. “I’d like to cover all of Thalia’s legal fees for whatever she might need.”

“Of course. I’m happy to represent you, and I’d be more than happy to work with Thalia if my services are needed.”

They spoke for several more minutes before ending the video conference.

Once the computer screen was closed, Iron turned to her. “I couldn’t be prouder of you. It took courage for you to decide to stand up to Scott. I bet once he receives a summons and has to appear in court, it’ll help other women. It’ll be a hit to his ego, and a man like Scott doesn’t have more than his inflated sense of self to hang onto. Once the summons is delivered, I want you to be extra cautious.”

She nodded, swallowing the tightness in her throat before she spoke. “Thanks for being here.” She placed her hand on top of Iron’s before he flipped it, lacing their fingers together. With his other hand, he gently brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Whatever you need. I mean that.” His voice was no more than a whisper, but those words wouldn’t have been any more profound if he’d shouted them.

She glanced at her small hand tucked inside his much larger one. “I hope you know that the same goes for you. I’m not just saying that because I think it’s the right thing or what you want to hear. I mean it.”

“More than proved that yesterday. You gave me the nudge I needed to reach out to my family. Something I haven’t done in a long time. You did again when they came here yesterday looking to talk. You had no problem being my strength when my courage faltered. Thank you for encouraging me to take those steps toward mending things with my parents.”

She blinked quickly, taken aback not only by his words, but also by the thick emotion in his voice. She’d never been someone’s strength before, but she was honored to be Iron’s.

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