I Told You To Run But You Didn't (Georgia) novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Finished

them. He didn’t serve in the military; he built his own empire, separate from the world my father, the late general, inhabited.

“How do you know my parents?” I demanded.

“They were two of my father’s most trusted people,” he said simply.

I shook my head, a painful lump forming in my throat. refused to cry, not in front of him. I lifted my chin and forced the words out. “I’m taking their ashes back to our hometown for burial in a few days.”

He sighed, his gaze sweeping over me. He didn’t speak for a long moment, just watched me as if I were a puzzle he was trying to solve.

“Doesn’t your husband provide you with a driver?” he finally asked. His eyes dashed back toward the hospital entrance, where Lucas was fussing over his mother.

My jaw tightened. “No,” I bit out, the single word feeling like a major concession.

A smirk touched his lips. “What a pity. Do you need a ride?” The offer dripped with condescension.

“Absolutely not,” I said, taking another involuntary stepack. There was no way I was getting into a car with a stranger, especially one as powerful and unnerving as him.

ould call it quits on

His smirk widened into a wolfish grin. “Why not? I don’t bite.” He paused, letting the silence hang in the air before adding, “Say yes, and I might just forget what happened at the restaurant. We that little offense of yours.”

Before I could form a proper refusal, he turned and strode toward his car foregone conclusion. The driver held the rear door oper.

as if my agreement was a

With a frustrated sigh, I found myself sliding into the plush leather interior. He got in beside me, the car suddenly feeling far too small.

His smirk widened. “Finally.”

My hand brushed against his as I settled in. A jolt, like static electricity, shot up my arm. I snatched my hand back, planting it firmly in my lap. “Just drop me at the coffee shop in Corvin City,” I said, trying to reclaim some control.

“Glad he purred, then lazily addressed his driver. “You heard the lady.”

“Yes, sir,” the driver replied, and the car pulled silently into traffic.

The air inside was thick with tension. I didn’t need to look to know he was staring, his gaze analytical an intense. He wasn’t just looking; he was studying me.

“So,” he began, breaking the silence nonchalantly. “After the divorce, what’s the plan? Running back to the military?”

Sing

My real plan-to find my missing brother-flashed through my mind, a secret I would never share with him. “Is this an interview?” I retorted. “And how do you know so much about my life?”

He didn’t even blink. “A background check,” he said simply. “I make it a point to know my enemies.”

I met his arrogant gaze without flinching. “I am not your enemy”

Chapter 9

“You’re right, you’re not my enemy.” He turned his head dismissal. “You’re not nearly significant enough to be or

The sheer arrogance of the statement stunned me into offer me a ride to insult me more?!

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1 Told You To Run,But You Didn’t

Chapter 10

Georgia’s POV

The moment he dropped me off, I shoved the car door shut with just enough force to be satisfying.

I puffed out my cheeks, the angry words I wanted to scream at him bubbling up in a furious, silent raspberry.

68%

Finished

I kicked a stray pebble with probably more force than necessary as I watched his stupidly expensive car drive away. That man was infuriating!

Standing in front of the coffee shop, the thought of having to fake a smile for a barista suddenly felt like a Herculean task. No. I needed to go home. I hailed a cab and headed for the villa.

The security guard opened the main gate for me. The house was blissfully empty, so I made myself a coffee, hoping for at least an hour of peace. Naturally, my peace lasted for exactly ten minutes before the Sterling family paraded in.

Fatima spotted me, clutched her chest, and let out a gasp worthy of a dying swan.

“Oh, my heart! The very sight of her is making me ill,” she declared to the empty hallway. “Lucas, darling, help your poor mother upstairs before I collapse from the sheer toxicity in this room.”

Lucas sighed, the sound heavy with years of this nonsense. “Mom, please s****

“Stop what? Stop having a legitimate medical reaction to her malevolent aura?” She sniffed disdainfully and swept up the stairs. “I need my rest.”

Lucas, however, planted himself in front of me, his hands shoved deep in his pockets as if to keep himself from strangling someone. I scoffed. Ever since Kiara had waltzed back into Corvin City, he’d become a ghost in his own home.

“My mother expects Dr. Foster to be the one to treat her in the future,” he said calmly, “You need to inform him that he will continue to oversee her care.”

I let a slow, mocking sneer spread across my face. Did he honestly think a physician of Dr. Foster’s caliber- a man whose patients were literal titans of industry like the Salvatores-was their on-call family doctor?

The audacity of this family was almost impressive!

“You can handle the registration yourself,” I suggested, my voice dripping with false sweetness. “Dr. Foster is a physician; he won’t turn away a patient. As long as you can actually secure an appointment with him, I’m sure he’ll be happy to tend to your mother.”

Lucas frowned; the concept of doing something himself was clearly foreign to him.

“That’s right,” I added, my smile turning razor-sharp. “You’re quite wealthy, aren’t you? You could easily hire someone to stand in line for you.”

Just as he was about to speak again, his phone rang. He answered it right in front of me, his expression turning grim as he listened.

I took a slow sip of my coffee, watching him. He ended the call with a frustrated sigh and turned his full attention back to me.

15:02 Thu, Mar 5