Chapter 616:

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“I’ll be taking her back to New York on my jet this afternoon,” Alistair stated immediately, his tone leaving zero room for argument. “She can recover at home.”

My head snapped toward him. “I’m not leaving,” I said, my voice firm despite its rasp. “My production is here. I have work to finish.”

“Your health is the priority,” Alistair said, his voice dangerously low.

“My company and my team are my responsibility,” I countered, my eyes flashing.

We were locked in a silent battle of wills. I knew I couldn’t win a direct physical confrontation in my current state, so I changed tactics. “I feel fine. I can work from my hotel.”

Alistair watched me, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He recognized my stubbornness. Forcing me would only lead to another exhausting rebellion. He made a strategic concession.

“Fine,” he said, the word clipped. “You can stay and finish your work. On one condition.”

Before I could object, he was on his phone. Within minutes, he had arranged for Nurse Evans to be retained as my full-time private aide. She would shadow me, monitor my vitals, and ensure I followed medical orders to the letter.

I wanted to refuse, but I knew it was the only compromise I would get. I agreed through gritted teeth.

Alistair handled my discharge with surgical efficiency. He escorted me to my hotel suite, the silence thick with the unspoken memory of the kiss. At the door to my room, he didn’t try to touch me again. He simply looked at me, his gaze intense.

“Don’t be reckless again, Blake. I won’t be as understanding next time.”

ոo𝘷е𝘭𝗌 𝘪𝗇 𝗍𝗋е𝘯𝘥 on ga𝗅𝗻𝘰𝗏𝗲𝗅𝘀.𝘤𝗈𝘮

Then he turned and left for the airport, leaving me with Nurse Evans and a confusing mix of relief and a strange, unwelcome pang of disappointment.

The next morning, as I was preparing for set, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Alistair. It wasn’t a question or a greeting. It was a list:

8:00 AM: Breakfast meeting, The Carlyle. 10:00 AM: Senate Oversight Committee hearing. 1:00 PM: Lunch with Alpha King Kain Blackwell. 4:00 PM: Final review of Q3 legislative budget.

I stared at the text, completely bewildered.

The next day at precisely 7:30 AM, another text arrived with a new itinerary. And the day after that.

I found myself reading the lists, picturing him in those high-powered meetings with Kain and political leaders. The platinum ring on my finger felt a little less foreign, a little less cold. For the first time since signing our contract, a tiny crack appeared in my conviction that our marriage was nothing more than a transaction.

.

.

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