Please Me Daddy (Gracie) novel Chapter 120

**Across Distant Skies Lies Hope Waiting To Be Found by Kade Rowan Flint**

“Get your hands off her immediately!”

Grace

As I pushed the heavy door to the conference room open, a rush of air escaped my lungs, a sigh of relief mingled with frustration. I instinctively pressed my fingers against the side of my neck, attempting to alleviate the tightness that had settled there like an unwelcome guest. My muscles protested with every movement, a dull ache that was becoming all too familiar.

The meeting had dragged on for over an hour longer than anticipated, and while the discussions had been intellectually stimulating, Aiden and Sarah had pulled me aside afterward under the guise of needing a “quick follow-up” to discuss some corrections. An hour later, my brain felt like a jumbled mess of thoughts, and I was left wondering if I could even string a coherent sentence together.

Yet, despite the stress, there was a flicker of satisfaction within me. Aiden and Sarah were incredibly sharp, and watching them work together was like witnessing two masterful artists dissect a complex puzzle. I had absorbed knowledge I knew I wouldn’t have come across in any ordinary training session, and amidst the exhaustion, pride blossomed within me for having kept pace with their rapid-fire exchanges.

With a subtle stretch, I rolled my shoulders, trying to shake off the remnants of tension before making my way to the elevator. Just as I reached the threshold, a figure stepped directly into my path, startling me.

“Oh my God,” I gasped, instinctively stepping back to avoid colliding with him.

“Sorry for startling you, Miss Grace. Are you alright? I just wanted to say hi,” he said, his voice smooth and casual.

I blinked up at the man, slightly taken aback. His face was unfamiliar, and I struggled to place him. He caught my puzzled expression and chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh, right. You must’ve forgotten who I am. I’m Jackson, from the sales team. We met at the welcome party, at that restaurant?”

The name registered a moment later, and recognition hit me like a wave.

Jackson.

Oh, that Jackson.

The one who had cornered me outside the restaurant that night, his attempts to secure my number bordering on desperate until River had appeared, his presence looming large enough to scare Jackson off. The memory made me cringe; I had completely buried that awkward encounter, but perhaps I had been too preoccupied with more pressing matters to remember it.

I studied Jackson again, River’s warning echoing in my mind with ominous clarity.

“He’s not the most decent guy out there. Known for chasing women, getting their numbers, manipulating them into bed, then bragging about it afterward and sharing it with others. I don’t know what he wants from you, but I can promise you, it isn’t anything good.”

I had never been one to put stock in rumors. Most were mere half-truths twisted by jealousy or spite, often spoken by those seeking to elevate themselves. But this wasn’t just any idle gossip; it was River’s voice I heard, and I trusted him implicitly.

Just thinking about River made my chest tighten with a mix of longing and concern. I missed him terribly. Ever since that fateful phone call, he had disappeared from my life without a trace. He hadn’t shown up for work, nor had he shared where he might be going. Each time I attempted to reach him, his phone remained switched off, and when I turned to his friends for answers, they all echoed the same response: they were just as clueless about his whereabouts.

Danielle had shrugged it off, dismissing it as typical River behavior, saying he always did what he wanted without a care for the consequences. But I had noticed the subtle shift in both Apollo and River’s demeanor after those mysterious calls. They had both vanished shortly after, leaving me with nothing but a swirling vortex of questions.

What was going on? And why did I have this unsettling feeling that everything was somehow linked?

I let out a soft sigh, shaking off the spiraling thoughts before they could drag me down further. I had spent far too many sleepless nights overanalyzing things beyond my control. I had even contemplated texting Apollo to check on him, but the thought of appearing clingy or desperate held me back. I was still grappling with my own feelings and didn’t want to complicate matters further.

“Miss Grace?”

Jackson’s voice broke through my reverie, pulling me back to reality.

I turned to find him standing there, that charming smile plastered across his face, his hands casually tucked into his pockets as if he had been waiting for me to acknowledge him. He scrutinized me for a moment before speaking again. “You look exhausted. Must be hard working this much.”

It was typical.

Men like him often assumed that if a woman wasn’t a knockout, she should be grateful for any attention. They believed she didn’t have the right to say no.

I inclined my head slightly, trying to maintain my composure. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I still have some things to attend to.” I attempted to sidestep him, but before I could, his hand shot out and gripped mine firmly.

“Hey, wait, I’m not done talking to you,” he insisted, his grip tightening painfully around my wrist.

A jolt of discomfort shot through me, and I winced, looking down at his hand before raising my gaze to his face. “What are you doing?” I demanded, my voice sharp and unyielding.

Jackson flashed a smile that made my stomach churn. “What do you mean, what am I doing? I just want to talk.”

I glared at him, incredulous. Talk? He was out of his mind.

“It’s not a big deal,” he continued, his tone shifting to a coaxing lilt. “I just want to take you on a nice date. It’s probably been a while since you’ve been on one, right? Come on, let me treat you for once, and you might actually enjoy it.”

“Let. Me. Go.” I hissed, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper.

I was doing my utmost to remain calm. This was still a workplace, and I couldn’t afford to create a scene. But if he didn’t release me in the next instant, I was ready to forget all professional decorum and make him regret ever laying a hand on me. Instead of letting go, however, his grip only tightened.

I opened my mouth to unleash my anger, but before I could speak, a voice thundered through the room, slicing through the tension like a knife.

“Get your hands off her immediately.”