The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 14

The Heiress He Underestimated

Chapter 14 Quiet Panic

He strode away, his posture tense, already barking into the phone before he was out of earshot. “What is it? I said I was unreachable…”

Elera sagged against the railing, the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding escaping in a rush. Her heart was hammering against her ribs. That had been too close.

The reprieve was a gift, but it left her alone on the dark deck, the reality of her situation crashing down. She was isolated, on a boat owned by a man who wanted to destroy her, surrounded by a crew loyal to him. The romantic setting felt sinister, the vast empty sea a perfect place for accidents.

She needed air that didn’t smell like him. She needed to think.

Quietly, she made her way down to the lower deck, towards the stern. There was a small, secluded seating area there, partly hidden by lifeboats. She sank onto a cushioned bench, pulling her wrap tightly around her.

The panic she had held at bay all day began to creep in, cold fingers tightening around her throat. What was she doing? This was madness. She was a world–class surgeon, a CEO, a genius. And here she was, playing damsel in distress on a billionaire’s yacht, her only plan a Hail Mary marriage to another, even more mysterious billionaire.

A wave of loneliness, so profound it was dizzying, washed over her. She had countless identities, but in that moment, she felt she had no one. Not really.

Her hand slipped into the small pocket of her dress, where she had transferred the pearl hairpin after her swim. Her thumb found the almost imperceptible seam on its back. One hard press would send a distress signal and her location to a security team that was currently over fifty miles away. It felt pitifully inadequate.

Then she thought of the other number in her phone. The one that wasn’t for emergencies, but had been offered as a simple connection.

If you just want to hear a friendly voice.

He wasn’t friendly. He was calculating and ruthless and shrouded in shadows. But he had seen her. Not the mask, but the person who put it on. And right now, that was more than anyone else had done.

Before she could talk herself out of it, before logic could intervene, she pulled out her personal phone. The signal was weak, but it was there. She found his name and pressed call.

It rang once, twice. Her stomach twisted. This was stupid. He was probably in a meeting, or asleep, or—

“Hi,” she said, and her voice sounded small, even to her own cars. She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. I know it’s late.”

“It’s not late,” he said. There was a soft rustling sound, like he was shifting. “Are you alright?”

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