Shredded Vows: The Billionaire’s Secret Heir novel Chapter 38

His car wasn't in the driveway either. She figured he had already left.

A wave of inexplicable disappointment washed over her. She headed upstairs, but the moment she pushed open the bedroom door, she saw him unbuttoning his dress shirt, the restored bracelet gleaming on his wrist.

A rush of complex emotions surged in her chest as she quietly closed the door.

Gideon shrugged off his shirt. "You fixed this yourself?" His tone was flat, and he didn't even bother to look at her.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that it's fixed." Lydia took a quiet breath. "So, Mr. Gray, am I expected back at Gray Enterprises tomorrow or not?"

He countered, "Do you want to go back?"

"..."

She lowered her gaze to his wrist. "My design concept and my final pieces will undoubtedly win that award. They will deliver the exact results you're looking for."

"Merit doesn't erase your past sins, but Gray Enterprises values talent." Gideon actually wanted to see what she was truly capable of. "Come in tomorrow. I'll be watching."

He pulled back the covers and got into bed. "The chain is fixed, but don't think this earns you any favors. You're the one who broke it in the first place."

"You're sleeping here tonight?" Remembering his aggressive demands, a knot of tension tightened in her stomach.

Gideon's imposing presence dominated the room. "I'm sleeping in my own house, in my own bed, with my own wife. Is there a problem?"

His sheer dominance, coupled with his blunt words, put her on edge. "It's really late."

"It's late, which is exactly why we should sleep." He stared at her with eyes as cold as ice. "Get in bed."

She stood frozen.

He got up, grabbed her arm with effortless strength, and tossed her slight frame onto the mattress before hovering over her. "Relax. I won't get you pregnant. You won't have to deal with that."

"Should I be thanking you? Don't you know how bad emergency contraceptives are for a woman's body?" She looked up at him nervously, her long, thick lashes fluttering.

Gideon flashed a wickedly cruel smile. "That's your body. It has nothing to do with me." The next second, he claimed her lips.

His attitude toward her was cold and mocking, yet intertwined in the brutal intimacy was a faint, deeply buried tenderness.

That night, Gideon didn't leave halfway through. He was genuinely exhausted and slept soundly beside her for a few hours until dawn.

When Lydia opened her eyes, a glass of water and a contraceptive pill were shoved into her line of sight. "Take it," he ordered.

A complex emotion flashed through her eyes. "..." Her lips parted, wanting to say something, but just looking at him made her heart ache with foolish affection.

How low could someone sink for love?

Swallowing her heartbreak, she reached out and took the glass and the pill.

Gideon stood by the bed, looking down at her with a detached expression. "Next Wednesday is Old Mr. Jenson's 80th birthday. You're my plus-one. Go get fitted for a custom gown this afternoon."

By the time he finished his sentence, Lydia had already swallowed the pill. "Alright."

If she hadn't been desperate to see Jeffrey, she wouldn't have agreed in a million years! She had to uncover the truth!