Page 67 of Doctor Bossy

There were murmurs around the room, and I surveyed all the faces in attendance. Marco shook his head in disbelief, and Leila and Willa both looked horrified and shocked too.

“You can’t step down,” one person said. “We need you.”

“You can continue to carry out the research without me,” I said. “You have everything you need, and I will continue to provide the funds needed. You are all very intelligent in your own right and can manage the research well. I will, of course, give you support and am always around for advice. But I think this instance showed that it’s time, and I am ready as well for the next stage of my life. Leila will now be in charge.”

“What?” Leila blinked at me, shock clear on her face. “I can’t…I don’t—”

“You can, and you will,” I said determinedly. “To be honest, you run this place pretty well already without me, and I can’t think of anyone else taking over except you. You need to do it.”

She opened her mouth and closed it several times before she finally nodded and murmured, “Sure.”

“Marco will be around to assist you,” I said, glancing at the man to confirm. I knew he was entering his final year of medical school and, as such, rarely had time to spare, but he nodded.

The university president sighed. “Hold on, Griffin, this is far too hasty. I don’t think we’ve gotten to that yet.”

“I think we have,” I said. The fact was that I had gotten so obsessive because I got too close to the research. I’d always been too close, and it just became more and more detrimental in the long run.

“Please reconsider, Griffin,” the president implored.

I smiled at him. “Nope.”

And with that, the meeting concluded in a good span, and it was time to go find my woman.

* * *

The mansion wasquiet when I got there. I frowned, assessing the space.

“Becca,” I called out, but there was no answer.

Arnold was coming out of the kitchen, and he greeted me and said, “Can I help you, sir?”

“Yes, Arnold. Has Becca been here?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t seen her since this morning, sir.”

That wasn’t what I wanted to hear, and tension immediately tightened in my gut. At the office, they said that she had left for the day, and I assumed it meant she’d come home. But if she wasn’t here, then where the hell was she?

I turned around and began walking toward my car, feeling suspicion sneak in. I hoped she hadn’t gone back to her home with a maniac still on the loose, but I wouldn’t put it past her to do just that. I wouldn’t put it past her to try and cut herself out of my life to save me the pain of losing her—the same way she sacrificed herself for my job.

Yeah, that seemed like such a Becca thing to do.

And I loved her for it, even though it frustrated the hell out of me.

I immediately put my car in gear and turned onto the street. For some reason, anxiety built in my gut as I drove, and I wasn’t sure why. All I knew was that I needed to find her to make sure she was safe. I needed to let her know how much she meant to me and that I loved her and would be with her till the end, no matter what it took.

When I got to her house, I immediately knew something was wrong.

The door was shut, and nothing was immediately out of place, but I could sense the wrongness and trouble in the air. And then I saw a movement in the window that had me leaping out of the car the minute I pulled to a stop. I threw open the door to Becca’s house, and pure rage filled me at the sight of what greeted me.

Someone was on her.

A very big someone who guffawed as he had his hand around her waist and was attempting to wrestle her to the ground.

I saw red, but my body was already in motion, fueled by adrenaline. I barely felt it as I slammed my entire weight into the man, knocking him to the floor before getting on top of him. His face was a picture of shock as he stared at me, and I didn’t know what he saw, but fear flashed through his face. I hit him once, twice, again, and again.

I wanted to end him.

He dared attack one of the few things I cared about in this world, dared to come after my Becca.

---