Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 515

"I failed to protect you. If I hadn't taken you to the York Family home back then, none of this would have happened. You wouldn't have had to endure so much suffering, you wouldn't have been humiliated by that bastard Xavier York, and you certainly wouldn't have been cornered by those greedy old men in the boardroom."

He was consumed by guilt.

Madeline buried her face in his chest, a sharp pang tugging at her heart.

It stung, just a little.

She smiled up at him. "You already fought back for me today, didn't you?"

"It wasn't enough." He rested his chin on the top of her head, his voice unusually grim.

"Not nearly enough. For every tear they caused you, I'll make them pay in blood. Xavier York can block my approvals, and Jasper York can lock me up—I can tolerate all of that. But they crossed the line when they targeted you. For every time they hurt you, I'll ensure they regret it for the rest of their lives."

"Give me a little time. I will make every single person who wronged you pay the price they deserve."

Madeline remained silent.

The thunder continued to rumble outside, but insulated by his heartbeat and steady breathing, the storm felt like it belonged to another world.

His hand never stopped moving, patting her back in a slow, gentle rhythm, lulling her to sleep like a child.

Exhaustion finally washed over her.

His embrace was too warm, too safe, too perfect.

Her eyelids grew heavy, her fingers loosening their grip on the blankets as her breathing deepened.

Sensing that she had drifted off, Quentin let out a quiet breath.

He listened as the raging downpour outside softened into a steady drizzle. A few muffled rumbles of thunder echoed in the distance, but the worst of the storm had passed.

He lowered his head and pressed the gentlest kiss to her hair, so faint he wasn't even sure his lips had brushed the strands.

Just as he closed his eyes to join her in sleep, his gaze caught the faint glow of Madeline's phone on the nightstand.

The screen was still illuminated; she must have fallen asleep before locking it.