Page 109 of Power
And yet … looking at the haunted shadows in Jace’s eyes, I could see he’d been serving a life sentence of his own making. The prison he’d built for himself had no walls, but the punishment had been no less severe.
“For a while, I had no real purpose in life,” he continued. “I didn’t feel deserving of happiness, and I felt especially unworthyof love. So, I chose to put up walls and steered clear of relationships.”
My stomach twisted at his words because I could tell he’d believed that. All those years, he’d been hating himself, forcing everyone away because of a terrible decision he’d made years ago. Maybe I didn’t know exactly how this would all land in my heart, but I did believe people deserved second chances, and Jace … Jace was a good man. That much I knew.
He moved closer to me, close enough that I could see the pain etched in every line of his face.
“But after a while, I realized self-loathing wasn’t enough. I needed to take this guilt and turn it into fire, into fuel to do something good.”
His voice grew stronger. “I later learned that the woman had been driving on the road that night because she was working a late shift at a job she’d taken after her primary employer laid her off. Turned out, her company had cut hundreds of employees for no other reason than corporate greed.”
Jace’s eyes lit with a familiar passion. The one I’d glimpsed whenever he talked about his business philosophy.
“I realized maybe there was something good I could do with my wealth.” His voice softened. “But I never changed my mind about relationships … until you. I let you into my world, and I developed feelings for you, Scarlett. In fact, I’m falling in love with you.”
Strange how my heart could still react with a hiccup, as if his profession wasn’t imprisoned in a jail of complications.
“But you deserve someone far better than a man who caused the death of an innocent woman. Not someone who was never held accountable for taking another life.”
I had no idea how to process all of this. It would take time. Hours, days, maybe weeks to digest what Jace had told me he’d done, to see how that settled into my soul. The woman. The cover-up. The wealth that made it all go away while another family buried their loved one. I couldn’t offer absolution,not today. Maybe not ever. But I also couldn’t deny the ache in my chest when I looked at him, the tangle of feelings that wouldn’t simply dissolve because of this revelation.
My father had hurt people deliberately, systematically, without a shred of genuine remorse. What I saw in Jace was different. This wasn’t just guilt; it was a man who’d spent years trying to atone. Who’d built a company that protected thousands of jobs. Who’d turned his darkest moment into a mission.
“I …” I started, then stopped, searching for the right words. “I can’t tell you how to feel about what happened.” His eyes met mine, vulnerable, expecting rejection. “But my father …” I swallowed hard. “He never felt sorry for what he did. And he sure as hell never tried to make anything better.” I took a shaky breath. “You’ve dedicated your life to helping people, Jace. That doesn’t erase what happened, but it says something about who you are.”
“You don’t see me as a monster?” he asked, his voice barely audible.
I shook my head slowly. “What I see is someone who’s been punishing himself for years … who’s convinced himself he doesn’t deserve a second chance.”
I stepped closer, my heart hammering. “You have a choice. You can keep shutting people out, or …” My voice caught. “Or you can forgive yourself enough to let someone in.”
Hope took flight in his green eyes.
“When this is over …” He gestured vaguely, words failing him. His gaze searched mine, asking the question he couldn’t bring himself to voice. “Would you … I mean … I’d understand if you needed time. Or if you couldn’t …” He trailed off, jaw working, the vulnerability in his expression almost unbearable.
This powerful man, who built empires, reduced to incomplete sentences and unspoken questions. Afraid to ask directly for what he wanted. Afraid even to name it. He was asking if there was any hope that he and I could have a future together.
“You opening up to me makes me feel much closer to you,” I assured. “But after everything that’s happened tonight, I’m in avulnerable, fragile state of mind and shouldn’t be making any life-altering decisions until I’ve had time to process it all.”
There was something more urgent pulsing beneath my shock. Something that made the hairs on my neck stand up.
If Marcus was this good, honorable man, so selfless that he’d taken the fall for Jace all those years ago, why was he behaving so terribly now? By the looks of it, Marcus had made out like a bandit. He’d gotten off any criminal charges and been a loyal right-hand man to Jace ever since, benefiting from what was probably an outrageous compensation package, power, and endless opportunities. Why blow it all?
And more pressing, why on earth would he threaten to hurt Jace tonight?Thiswas the dark secret Marcus was alluding to, the one he was holding over Jace’s head.
Knowing what it was now, I could see he’d exaggerated a bit. Jace probably wouldn’t lose his freedom; I’d have to believe the statute of limitations had run out, but that wasn’t the point. Marcus wasn’t the loyal friend Jace believed him to be. He thought Marcus was on his side, all while his “so-called-friend” was threatening him behind his back.
“You owe a lot to Marcus,” I managed, trying to keep my voice flat. Playing the role of understanding friend as I attempted to tease out what Jace might know. Did he have any clue that Marcus was a snake coiled to strike?
“I owe him everything,” Jace said, the raw conviction in his voice making my stomach twist.
And just like that, I had my answer. Jace had no idea Marcus was a monster. He was oblivious to the danger lurking in his inner circle, tethered by gratitude to the very man who wanted to destroy him.
I opened my mouth to tell him the truth. But then I pictured Jace’s face when he’d found me earlier tonight with that cold, unfiltered fury in his eyes. If I told him it was Marcus, Jace might do something rash, something he couldn’t take back. Something that would destroy his life as thoroughly as Marcus intended.
The “good” news, if you could call it that, was that this wasn’t just an HR problem anymore. Marcus had committed a crime by attacking me. I thought of my father, who’d been arrested and sitting in jail ever since he’d assaulted me. There was a system for this. A process.
I’d go to the police first. File a report. Once Marcus was safely behind bars, where Jace couldn’t blow up his life by beating him senseless, then I’d tell Jace everything. This way, I could protect both of us.
