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Earlier that summer, Bryce had fired me. Then he’d lured me back with the promise of even more money. We hadn’t made it very far before we parted ways again. This time around, I was the one who’d broken things off. I’d run off with Noah in the middle of the night. We’d left our clothes, our friends, and Noah’s new puppy.
I’d walked away from the money, too.
Not to mention my husband.
But in the end, it wasn’t the dollars that mattered. It wasn’t the promise of wealth that had undone me. It was Bryce himself. I’d fallen madly in love with him—not a smart thing for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. And it was my love for him that forced me to break my contract.
“They’re going to back you into a wall,” Akira continued.
Boy, did I know how that felt.
Bryce’s father, Gene Windsor, was the reason I’d left. He’d never approved of me. He wanted Bryce to marry his ex-girlfriend, Felicia Jones, an American heiress—or someone rich like her. Not someone like me, from the crappy part of East Boston, trash who came from trash. Gene had been very clear: he wanted me gone. He’d threatened me, he’d threatened Noah, and he’d threatened Bryce’s position with the company if I didn’t do what he asked, which was leave for good. Gene Windsor had ruined my chance at a happy life with the man I loved.
And now Bryce was about to sue me because he wanted me back. But Gene would hurt my brotherandmy husband if I returned. I couldn’t tell anyone the truth. Gene would come after me if I did.
So what the hell was I supposed to do?
“What if I say no?” I interrupted Akira’s tirade. “What happens if I refuse to go back?” I needed to make a decision quick.
“They’ll probably file an emergency motion seeking injunctive relief. The way the contract is set up, there would be a private arbitration process.”
“Can you say that in English, please?” Akira’s lawyer-speak was sometimes over my head.
She sighed. “Injunctive relief means they’ll ask an arbiter—a private judge—to make you perform the contract.”
“And what if I refuse?”
“They’ll ask that you pay contractual damages. And if you can’t pay them, you might have to go to jail.”
“Seriously?” I glanced over at my brother, who was blissfully asleep. If I went to jail, he would have no one except my father and my drunk-ass stepmother. Which was almost worse than no one...
“It’s a stretch to ask for jail time in a private matter, but we’re talking about a lot of money. And the Windsors have a crap-ton of political connections. They make donations. They have everything stacked in their favor.”
“So what do I do?”
Akira was quiet for a minute. Probably her brain was going into overdrive, making assessments and calculations. “You should meet with Jim Wright. Tell him that you’re willing to listen.”
“Can you be on the call, too?” I asked.
“Of course, Chloe. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” But she made it sound like we might be walking the plank. “I’ll reach out to him and set up a meeting. My guess is he’ll want to do it soon—Bryce is probably his biggest client.”
I sighed again. “Of course he is.”
“You might want to call Elena when you have a second,” Akira said. “She’s kind of freaking out.”
“Ugh.”
“Ugh is the nice word for it.” Akira hung up.
I sighed and texted Elena.Can you talk?
My phone immediately rang.
“Please tell me you’re going to make this right.” Elena blew out a deep breath. “I can’t deplete my girls’ college funds because of a lawsuit. Do you know how much collegecoststhese days?”
“No, I don’t.” Continuing education wasn’t exactly part of my life plan after my mother died. “And I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“Listen, I know this has been a difficult assignment,” the madam said. “It was a big ask, having you marry someone sight-unseen and packing you off to live with him on a remote island. But the thing is, Chloe, you did it. You made it work. So why now? You still haven’t told me what happened.”
