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Savannah
“Oh, my God, Vanna. He’s really beautiful,” Torie said as she sat watching my new protection trained German shepherd play with her dog, Milo.
His name was Axel because he had a very long, unpronounceable registered name, and hewasgorgeous.
“Chase wanted me to accept a bodyguard,” I told Torie. “Axel was a compromise.”
It had been nearly a month since Chase and I had made the decision to live together and be a couple. During those weeks, I’d learned that compromise was necessary when a woman lived with a very stubborn man who was obsessive about her safety.
Torie raised her eyebrow at me from her side of the sofa. “Was it really a compromise? Axel looks at you like he worships you already and vice versa.”
“Not really,” I confessed. “I haven’t had a dog since I was a child, and I’ve really missed being a dog owner. I absolutely adore him, and he’s good company. I’m still working with the trainer to make sure I have all the commands down, but it is nice to have a companion who doesn’t talk when I’m working.”
Chase had insisted on remodeling one of the downstairs bedrooms into an office for me, and he’d gotten it done in record time. Of course, he knew a guy who did quality work and could complete the task with a large crew inside of a week.
In the last month, I’d also quickly learned that almost nobody saidnoto a billionaire Durand, especially one as charming as Chase.
I loved having my own space decorated just the way I wanted it. Everything about my office inspired my creativity.
“Get used to the protective instincts,” Torie warned me. “If Cooper could get away with it, I’d have a bodyguard with me whenever he wasn’t around. But we leave for work at the same time every day. I’m generally not home alone unless he has to work late. And he has a state-of-the-art security system here.”
“Chase does, too,” I said. “But he’s still concerned, more so very recently.”
Torie nodded. “He told Cooper and me about the weird letters he and Wyatt have been getting at the office so we’d stay alert. Judging by the content, Chase and Wyatt think it’s actually the son of one of Dad’s old enemies, Gerald Kruger. My father started speaking out about Kruger’s company not long before he died, when they started stealing designs. Not so much for his own good, but to hopefully help smaller and independent designers who were losing their livelihoods. Dad was one of several big luxury brands that was sick of watching this other company blatantly copy other’s designs. Items were made cheap with those stolen designs and then sold in mass quantities at a bargain price. Dad came out a lot stronger than some of his competition.”
Chase had told me about what happened, but he’d been light on the details. “Couldn’t they be stopped by patent or copyright laws?”
Torie sighed. “Intellectual property laws for apparel and accessories are complicated. Usually, my father didn’t get all that worked up about companies making dirt cheap products that resembled his. But this was a creepy company that was known for using a lot of very young child labor with horrible conditions overseas, too. Between that and the smaller designers and artists who couldn’t make a living because of the design theft, I think he reached his limit of what he could tolerate without saying something. Eventually, Kruger’s company failed, not just because of their reputation but their practices, too. Their goods were so poorly made that they were almost disposable. I think people just got tired of the poor quality, even if the merchandise was dirt cheap. It’s tragic because Gerald Kruger committed suicide, and Wyatt and Chase think his son is out for revenge because they lost everything.”
Chase had explained something similar. “Do you think they’re right?” I asked Torie.
She shrugged. “It’s possible. There are all kinds of crazy personalities in the fashion and luxury brand world. That’s why I was never eager to stay that close to the industry.”
“Do you think Chase and Wyatt are in danger?” I asked. “What about you?”
“Half the time, I don’t think anyone realizes that a female Durand exists. I stayed out of the limelight, and I’ve never had anything to do with the brand. You’re a lot more high profile than I am. It’s no secret that you’re close to Chase now that you’re his live-in girlfriend. You just did that charity gig with him last week where he was representing Durand, so everyone knows. I won’t say I wasn’t concerned when Chase told me what was happening, but I wasn’t surprised, either. My father had his life threatened more than once in that industry, which is why he protected his kids. My brothers both have a concealed carry permit, and I guarantee they’re both carrying at the moment.”
“Chase is,” I confirmed. “I know that he knows how to take care of himself, but anything can happen.”
Torie laughed. “Now you sound like him when he’s trying to protect you. In the past, Chase would have blown off the nasty letters. Neither of my brothers are that concerned for their own safety. Like you said, they can take care of themselves. Having agirlfriendis a whole different story. Honestly, Chase has never had to worry about something like this before while he was a CEO of Durand. He hasn’t had a serious girlfriend since he and Wyatt took over the company. Be patient with him. If he gets too overbearing, put your foot down like you did with the bodyguard thing. He might not like it, but if he wants to be with you, he’ll have to understand that you’ve handled your own life just fine for a long time now.”
“I can’t live in fear of something that will likely never happen. I never have,” I said.
“That’s my philosophy, too, but Cooper will always try to protect me. I think it’s in his DNA.”
“Chase’s, too,” I commiserated. “It’s like this whole situation has kicked his protective instincts into overdrive. He said the police are trying to investigate, but they’ve got no proof so far, and the son swears he had nothing to do with those letters. They can’t arrest someone for content alone. It could be any crazy person pretending they’re someone else.”
“I know,” Torie acknowledged. “I wish it would stop. It has Cooper on edge, too.”
“Me, too. Not that I minded getting an awesome dog out of this situation, but I don’t like seeing Chase so worried.”
Torie snickered. “All you would have had to do was mentioned that you might like a dog in passing, and Chase would have brought you one home the next day. He’s crazy about you, Vanna. I’m surprised he hasn’t asked you to marry him, yet.”
I let out a surprised bark of laughter before I said, “We just started living together. I don’t think he’s going there.”
“He loves you,” Torie said confidently. “He’ll ask.”
“He hasn’t said so,” I said firmly. “And I don’t expect those words. It’s way too soon.”
