Chapter 16
Rachel bit her lip as Nicolas moved closer, his familiar cedar scent making her pulse race.
Quincy’s voice carried from somewhere nearby: “Miss Leroix? Where the hell are you?”
She went rigid. Nicolas felt her tense up and smirked. “Stay put.”
He stepped out of the alley and cut Quincy off.
“Mr. Rock. Bit late to be wandering around, don’t you think?” Nicolas’s voice was arctic.
Quincy barely looked at him, clearly pissed. “Who are you? Back off, asshole.”
Without missing a beat, Nicolas lit a cigarette and casually pulled out his lighter-an antique piece with blood-red rubies that caught the streetlight.
Quincy’s face went chalk white.
That lighter had been all over the news when some mystery Rothschild billionaire dropped a fortune on it at auction.
“Oh shit… Mr. Rothschild?” Quincy’s voice cracked. His family had been kissing ass trying to get a meeting with Nicolas for months, and here he was bumping into him in some random back alley.
“There we go.” Nicolas took a slow drag. “Took you long enough.”
“I… I’m just looking for my date. She bolted on me…”
“Not here.” Nicolas cut him off like he was swatting a fly. “Can’t even handle one woman? That’s embarrassing. What are you supposed to be-Rock Industries’ future? Their big shot heir?” His stare could have cut glass. “If you can’t manage a simple dinner date, what makes you think Rothschild would ever do business with you? Hell, you probably don’t even deserve the
Rock name.”
Quincy looked like he was about to puke. He mumbled something and practically ran away.
Once the coast was clear, Nicolas came back, finding Rachel still pressed against the wall. “Okay. Now we can actually talk.”
She was still shaking, looking like she’d seen a ghost. Nicolas stepped closer, his voice dropping low. “So let me get this straight. You call me up asking to get married, then the very next day you’re out playing house with some wannabe predator.”
Rachel’s mouth opened but nothing came out. She’d literally proposed to him last night, and today she’d almost gotten assaulted by another guy. Any explanation would just make her sound pathetic.
She looked away and tried to bolt, but he caught her wrist, gently brushing her messy hair back.
“So what’s it gonna be? Me or that piece of shit?”
“You!”
The word shot out of Rachel’s mouth before she could even think.
Nicolas’s smile was pure satisfaction. “Good choice, Rachel.” His voice was quiet but dangerous. “Remember what that makes you now. You’re mine.”
Chapter 16
He had a car sent to take her home, watching from the shadows as she drove away.
Three years ago, she’d turned down his help and chosen prison instead.
He’d been furious back then. But three years later? He’d never let her make that mistake again.
The Leroix family had thrown her away like trash. Nicolas Rothschild was going to take back everything they’d stolen from Rachel and hand it right back to her.
His right-hand man appeared beside him. “Want me to put a tail on her, boss?”
“Nah.” Nicolas looked completely unbothered. “She’ll be back.”
“What about the Leroix family?”
“Bunch of clowns.” Nicolas laughed coldly, crushing his cigarette under his heel as he walked toward his Maybach.
Meanwhile, Rachel stumbled back into the house.
She went straight upstairs and cranked the shower to scalding, letting the water beat down on her.
She slid down the tile wall until she was sitting on the shower floor, feeling like every ounce of energy had been sucked out of
her.
All she could think about was Nicolas’s eyes-the way he looked at her like he could see straight through to her soul.
Three years, and he was exactly the same. Still terrifying, still completely in control.
Thirty minutes later, Rachel finally dragged herself out and threw on some pajamas.
The girl in the mirror looked like a ghost-pale, too thin, hollowed out. She touched her own face and suddenly started
laughing.
The Leroix family thought they could destroy her. This time, they might be wrong.
She grabbed her phone from the nightstand. One unread text from Nicolas.
“Hope you meant it. No backing out now.”
Staring at those words, Rachel felt something fierce and reckless rise up in her chest.
She sure as hell wasn’t backing out.
