The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 603

If he wasn't coming out, it was because he didn't want to. He could stay in there and freeze for all she cared.

"But Jackson," the maid fretted, wringing her hands in genuine anxiety. "I know the conservatory is heated for the orchids, but with the blizzard outside, the temperature is dropping fast. If the Boss cools off too much, he might freeze to—"

Jackson cleared his throat sharply. "We listen to Miss Petty. Whatever she says, goes."

Upstairs, Petty quietly slipped into the nursery. When she had left earlier, Manley was sleeping on his stomach. Now, he was sprawled out like a starfish, arms thrown above his head, one tiny fist tangled in his own hair. He must have scratched an itch in his sleep.

Smiling softly, she retreated to the adjoining sitting room and shrugged off her coat. As she hung it on the rack, something heavy slipped out of the pocket and hit the carpet with a muted thud.

A dark red velvet box.

It was the same box she had seen Franco pull from his overcoat in the conservatory.

The bastard had slipped it into her pocket when she wasn't looking.

It was a small, square box, resting easily in the palm of her hand.

What exactly had he packed inside a box this size?

Petty stood completely still for a moment before slowly popping the lid.

A ring, set with a breathtaking pink diamond, stared back at her.

Snap.

The box snapped shut.

Without a millisecond of hesitation, Petty marched over to the window, ducked behind the heavy curtains, and shoved the glass pane open.

Back in the conservatory, Franco had just hung up on Galen and was adjusting the angle of an orchid pot when he caught a blur of motion out of the corner of his eye.

It was flying straight toward the glass, moving slower than a bullet.

Thump.

The dark red velvet box slammed into the windowpane and dropped straight into the snowdrift banked against the glass. The impact popped the lid open. The ring spilled out into the powder, the flawless pink diamond catching the ambient light and throwing a brilliant spark of fire through the blinding white snow.