Page 65 of Sacrifice (Corrupt Empire 2)

“Princess, I have to go or it will look suspicious. Okay?”

I pulled away from him.

“Okay,” I sniffled.

He leant down and kissed my forehead, wiping under my eyes with his thumb. He unlocked the cubicle door and let himself out. I heard the bathroom door slam behind him.

Everything happened so suddenly, I barely had time to process any of it. I put the toilet lid down and sat, kicking the door shut. I pulled out some toilet paper and dabbed my eyes. I probably looked like a complete fucking mess.

The reality of what occurred crashed down on me. If Aiden hadn’t come in when he did, Tristan would’ve raped me. I was sure of it. Raped me in my own fucking building. He would’ve been cruel and made it hurt. It wouldn’t hurt in the good way either. Not the way Aiden fucked me so brutally, it blurred the lines between pleasure and pain. The difference? I wanted Aiden and I most definitely did not want Tristan. The whole thing was completely batshit crazy on so many levels.

I couldn’t stay hiding in a toilet cubicle all day. I stood, smoothing down my skirt and walked out. I went to the sinks and sorted out my messy face. My eyes were bloodshot, but there wasn’t much I could do about that. Chucking the tissues in the bin, I washed my hands and left.

Thankfully, I didn’t see anyone on the way to my office. I breathed a sigh of relief when I strode in and shut the door behind me. Except my office wasn’t empty. Uncle Charlie was sitting on one of the chairs in front of my desk and Aiden was leant up against one of the bookshelves. I blinked rapidly, trying to compose myself all over again.

Uncle Charlie turned and smiled at me, although it didn’t meet his eyes.

“There you are. How did the board meeting go?” he said.

I stared at him before realising he’d asked me a question. I shook myself and began walking around my desk, trying to ignore the fact that Aiden was right there.

“Fine. The paperwork is complete which means the company is officially mine. They agreed with Ed’s appointment. Clara can speak to HR.”

I sat down, facing my uncle. His eyes flicked over to Aiden for a moment.

“I’m pleased to hear it. I’d like to introduce you to someone.” He waved at my boyfriend. “This is Aiden Lockhart. He looks after the company security amongst other things.”

I sent a cursory glance his way.

“Nice to meet you, Mr Lockhart.”

“Miss Daniels,” he replied.

I wondered why my uncle was introducing me to Aiden. My skin prickled. This felt wrong. Was he trying to test us? Did he know we already knew each other? I had too many questions.

“I heard there was an altercation between you and Tristan Shaw,” my uncle said.

And there it was. My heart sank. I didn’t really want to talk about what happened in the toilets. Why had Aiden mentioned it to my uncle?

“It was a simple misunderstanding.”

Uncle Charlie pressed his fingers together.

“Even so, I worry about you, Avery. You’re still young and people might take advantage of that fact.”

What is his point?

“I think you should have someone with you for your own protection.”

I stared at him. Was he seriously suggesting I should have a bodyguard? I didn’t need babysitting.

“Is that what he’s here for?” I asked before I could stop myself.

My uncle looked at Aiden again, frowning.

“No… Although, perhaps…”

I sat up straighter. Uncle Charlie was out of his mind. I wasn’t going to let him put Aiden in charge of looking after me. That was a sure fire way to fuck everything up completely. How could we keep our relationship a secret and how on earth could Aiden work from behind the scenes if he was stuck with me twenty-four seven?

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