The CEO's Midnight Remedy novel Chapter 384

Chapter 384

Or keep me controlled.

The distinction felt increasingly blurry.

I stepped onto the balcony, grateful for the cool air against my flushed skin. Below me, the city pulsed with life and possibility. Freedom.

From up here, I could see the emergency fire escape that connected to the floor below–a route I’d noticed days ago but never seriously

considered.

Until

now.

“I should tell Devon,” I thought, wrapping my arms around myself. “Call him. Explain. Ask permission.”

But I already knew what he’d say. Too dangerous. Not until we find who tried to kill you. Stay where you’re safe.”

Safe. The word had started to feel like a noose.

“But this is my

give up.”

y career, I whispered

d to the empty air, one hand drifting to my still–flat stomach. “This is what Mom left me. I can’t just….

I watched the street below for another moment, then turned and went back inside. Lucas would leave for his shift change in forty–five

minutes. Roman did his rounds every hour on the hour.

I had a window. A narrow one,

All I needed was the courage to jump through it.

At 1:15 PM, I stood in Devon’s bedroom, dressed in a navy power sult that made me feel more like myself than I had in weeks. The p

pencil

skirt hugged my hips, the blazer sharp and professional. Black Louboutins–because if I was going to face down a board trying to steal my

position, I’d do it in armor.

I’d told Lucas I needed a nap after lunch. Wouldn’t want to be disturbed. He’d nodded, sympathetic, probably thinking about the pregnancy he didn’t know about but Devon had certainly told him to accommodate.

Now, with my laptop bag packed and my mother’s pearl earrings in place, 1 slipped out of the bedroom and moved silently toward the emergency exit door. My heart hammered against my lbs. Every step felt like a betrayal.

Im

sorry,” I thought, though I wasn’t sure if I was apologizing to Devon or to myself. “But I have to do this.”

The stairwell door opened with barely a whisper. I’d oiled the hinges yesterday while Devon was out–a precaution I’d hoped I wouldn 1.

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19:45 Fri, Jan 16

Chapter 384

need. The concrete s

outdoor terrace.

steps felt cold even through my shoes as I descended to the forty–first floor, where a maintenance door led to an

The lock was electronic, but Sophia had taught me a trick back in college–a bobby pin and the right amount of pressure, and.

Click.

I was through.

目

The elevator bank on this floor was blessedly empty. I smoothed my sult, adjusted my bag, and pressed the button for the lobby. When the doors opened on the ground floor, 1 stepped into a crowd of people in business attire–some conference or meeting letting out–and

simply let the current carry me toward the exit.

No

one stopped me. No one even looked twice.

Outside, the afternoon sun felt like absolution. I flagged a taxi, gave the driver Harper Group’s address, and

phone buzzed in my bag.

Devon’s message appeared on the screen: “Afternoon meeting might run late. Stay home. Be good.”

My thumb hovered over the keyboard. I should tell him. I should explain. I should-

“I’ll be fine,” I typed back “Don’t worry about me.”

Then I turned off my location services and tucked the phone away.

d tried to

to ignore the way my

The taxi merged into traffic, and I watched the buildings blur past, my reflection ghostly in the window. I thought about the last time my mother had brought me to Harper Group’s headquarters, how she’d walked me through every department, introducing me to people whod

become colleagues, mentors, rivals.

“This will be yours someday,” she’d said, her hand warm on my shoulder. “All of it. Your legacy.”

Not if my father and Victoria had their way. Not if I let them steal what was mine while I hid in Devon’s penthouse like some kept

I gripped my bag tighter, feeling the weight of my laptop, my files, my proof of three years of hard work and dedication

“I won’t let them win,‘ I whispered to my reflection. This is my battlefield. And I’m doise hiding

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