Chapter 31

Chloe’s POV

Drake came late.

I knew it was him the moment the house shifted. The guards moved with purpose. Doors opened and closed quietly. Footsteps echoed down the hallway with a weight that made my chest tighten.

I was sitting on the bed when the door opened.

He did not greet me.

He stood there in his dark suit, jacket still on, tie loosened, his face tight with restrained anger. His eyes locked onto mine immediately, sharp and cold, like he was looking at a problem that refused to be solved.

“What you did today was unacceptable,” he said.

I stood up slowly. “You ignored me.”

“I was at work,” he snapped. “You sent me pictures. You called me again and again. You distracted me during meetings that could have ruined everything.”

“I needed you,” I said.

“That is not an excuse,” he replied. “You do not get to pull me out of my life whenever you feel insecure.”

The word stung.

“Insecure?” I repeated. “You d