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I need to deal with him as soon as possible.
Both occupants of the room are staring at me.
I relax my frame before offering a smile that I know doesn’t quite reach my cold eyes. “Thanks. This has been very helpful, Jace.” I turn to leave.
Kendall calls out to me, strain in her voice, “What are you planning to do, Lucas?”
I look over my shoulder, no smile on my lips now, and reply, “Right now, nothing.”
I offer Elise a ride home after work.
In plain view of the people leaving and those who turn to look at me, leaning casually against her desk, my coat folded over my arms, I watch them in return, memorizing their faces and their expressions.
Weed out the enemy.
I’m not a forgiving man, especially not when something that belongs to me is being threatened, and Elise has been mine since I laid eyes on her. And I’ve cared for her daughter while she carried her and now Sophie too carries around my heart in her tiny fists.
Elise is in the washroom, Sophie left in my care.
She trusts me with her daughter and that is important to me. She trusts me to protect the most precious thing to her.
So, I wait.
“Lucas, you really shouldn’t do this,” she finally says as she walks towards me.
My eyes are focused on the way her hips move, the curve of her body, the furrow between her eyes. She’s filled out since her pregnancy, and not in a bad way. She’s curvier, her bosom heavier her hips wider, all in a way that if I found her attractive before, now I have to make a visible effort to calm myself down.
Motherhood suits her, I muse.
She picks up Sophie and places her in the baby carrier she’s wearing. With Sophie snug and safe, I pick up the pram, ignoring Elise’s protests, and my eyes move to the group of women standing around the elevator, waiting for it to take them to the underground garage.
They’re all young women and I recognize some of them as belonging to different departments in junior or senior positions. However, that’s not what grabs my attention. It’s the way they’re sneaking glances at Elise, the look in their eyes, not quite right. They look my way too and I can see the clear resentment in their gazes.
I remember Jace’s words from a few days ago and my mood turns dark. However, I quickly control my facial expressions and deliberately put my hand on Elise’s lower back.
She startles at this and the tips of her ears turn red.
If I weren’t completely focused on the group of females, I would have been amused.
They’re unable to hide the irritation that flares in their eyes at my gesture.
I’m not a vain man but I’m not deaf as well.
I know that a lot of the women here think of me as like attainable bachelor and they like my looks. I’ve had a few of them hit on me on occasion. But my heart had always belonged to Elise and I’ve never paid any of them any mind.
“Let’s go,” I murmur, softly.
Elise lets me nudge her along. However, she hesitates when she sees the group standing there and her hands which are supporting Sophie’s head, flex. However, she doesn’t stop and moves quickly, leaving me behind.
As she brushes past one of the women, I see the woman move her lips.
I don’t hear the words but I do see the way Elise’s face tightens and the flash of fear of on her pretty features. I also don’t miss the way her hands tighten on Sophie.
To my surprise, she stops and turns her head to look at the woman, her movements slow, her body stiff. Her voice is cold as she asks, “Did you just threaten my daughter?”
6
Elise
