Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Aaron’s POV

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I leaned back in my chair, watching Miller snap his briefcase shut. The sound echoed in the empty office, irritatingly loud.

“I need every clause, Miller,” I said, my voice sounding like gravel.

“Dig into the merger with the Walters. My grandfather didn’t just build a partnership; he built a trap. Find the exit. I want to know exactly what happens to my share of the Tyrone assets if the wedding is called off.”

Miller adjusted his glasses, his expression grave.

The Walters family is litigious, Aaron. And your grandfather was… thorough. But there’s always a crack in the foundation. I’ll do my absolute best to find it.”

“Best isn’t enough.” I snapped, leaning over the desk. “The wedding is less than twenty-one days away. I need this ended once and for all. I am not standing at that altar.”

Miller nodded, we both knew the stakes. He stood, we shook hands in a brief, professional grip, and he slipped out the door.

The moment he was gone, the silence rushed in-until it was broken by the sound of the heavy oak door swinging open again.

I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

The scent of familiar cologne and a hesitant footstep told me everything. It was my cousin, David.

I kept my back turned, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the Los Angeles skyline. I could see his reflection in the glass.

He looked smaller than usual, his shoulders slumped.

I could see the guilt and regret etched into his face, but it didn’t wash away the bitter taste in my mouth.

“Brother, David called quietly.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t even blink. I just watched the traffic move below like ants, my jaw so tight it ached.

“Aaron. He stepped closer, the sound of his shoes on the polished floor echoing.

He let out a long, ragged exhale.

“I’m sorry. For helping Jess run. I… I was confused, man. I thought I was doing the right thing for her, but I should have told you.”

I finally turned, and the look I gave him made him flinch. It wasn’t just the fact that he’d helped her hide; it was the memory of the last six years.

10:42 Sat, Feb 7

Chapter 127

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He had watched me go wild with grief. He’d watched me tear my life apart, drowning in fury and Scotch, searching for a ghost-and he had sat across from me at dinner, month after month, saying nothing.

Maybe one day I’d find a way to forgive him. But right now? My heart was still molded from the same cold, hard iron as the city outside.

“Is that why you’re here?” I asked, my voice devoid of emotion. “To ask for absolution?”

David swallowed hard. “No. I’m here because I just got off the phone with Fiona.”

I stared at him, waiting for the rest.

“She says she has information. Something about Lauren,” David said, moving closer now that he had my attention.

“She said it’s enough to blow the marriage contract out of the water immediately.”

I sat down in my swivel chair, the leather creaking under my weight. I didn’t want to talk to David, but I was a drowning man, and he was holding out a jagged piece of wood.

I’d take anything if it meant breaking the chains the Walters and my grandfather had wrapped around my

neck.

“What kind of information?” I asked.

“She didn’t give me the details over the phone,” David said, shaking his head. “She was adamant about seeing you personally. She wouldn’t tell me a thing.”

I leaned back, my mind racing.

“What exactly does she want, David? Fiona doesn’t do anything for free.”

David shrugged, looking genuinely clueless.

“Honestly? I think she’s changed. After what Eric did to her… I think the guilt is finally eating at her. She’s learned the hard way what happens when you play the wrong games.”

Silence dripped through the office like a leaking faucet. I stared at the pens on my desk, organized in perfect, meaningless rows.

“If she really has changed,” David asked, his voice cautious, “do you think you’d ever… go back? If she helps you get free?”

I looked at him then, really looked at him, and for the first time in days, the anger faded into a dull, certain

ache. “No.”

“No?” David echoed.

“It’s always been Jess,” I said. It felt strange saying it out loud, but it was the most honest thing I’d said in years.

“I was blinded by ego back then. I was trying to prove something to my father, to my grandfather… I used

10:42 Sat, Feb 7

Chapter 127

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Fiona as a make-believe because I was too scared to admit that a girl like Jess could have that much power over me. But it’s always been her. Right from day one.”

I felt my words in my bones. It wasn’t just a crush or a high school obsession. It was the kind of gravity that held my entire world together.

Fiona was a distraction; Jess was the destination.

David stared at me for a long beat, then a small, sad smile touched his lips. He let out a short, dry chuckle.

“I can’t believe it. What we all thought was fake turned out to be the only real thing in your life.”

I didn’t have a comeback for that. He was right.

The room went quiet for a beat. I could hear the hum of the AC, the distant city traffic.

But the silence shattered as the office door burst open. No knock, just the heavy bang of the wood hitting the

stopper.

Lauren.

Her face was flushed, her expensive silk blouse rumpled as if she’d been pacing in the elevator.

She looked beyond mad; she looked hysterical.

I didn’t even stand up. I just visibly rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair.

“Don’t you know how to knock, Lauren? Or does the ‘Walters’ name come with a master key to my privacy?”

David didn’t wait for her to start screaming. He glanced at Lauren, then back at me with a smirk tha

are

venom.

“Well, I’ll leave you to your bliss. Some of us have actual work to do.” He paused at the door, tossing one last smug look over his shoulder at Lauren.

“Nice color, Lauren. Red really brings out the ‘unhinged’ in your eyes.”

He slipped out before she could throw her handbag at him.

Lauren slammed the door shut, the vibration rattling the glass partitions of the office.

“You’re seeing her, aren’t you?” she shrieked, marching up to my desk. “I hear the whispers, Aaron! My father hears them! You’ve got that… that girl tucked away in one of your properties!”

“Watch your tone,” I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous, low hum.

I stood up slowly, hovering over the desk until she was forced to take a half-step back.

“And don’t forget your position in my life. You aren’t my wife, Lauren. You’re a business arrangement I haven’t finished canceling yet.”

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Chapter 127

“You can’t cancel me!” she hissed, her eyes wide.

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