Chapter 23
Balfour was drunk, his mind swirling with memories of Lynne–her laughter, her voice, the way she used to look at him.
When Cynthia arved, the front door was still wide open.
She stood there, her gaze full of bitter longing as she stared at the face she had loved so deeply, not just in this life but in the one before. She just couldn’t understand–how did it come to this? Once upon a time, Balfour would have left Lynne behind and run away with her, no questions asked. But this time, she’d gotten greedy. She wanted him, and she wanted the fame and fortune too. In the end, she lost it all–most of all, his love.I
Fury burning in her chest, Cynthia walked toward Balfour. Her slender hand, now missing a finger, trembled at her side. Ever since he’d come back to the country, he hadn’t spared her a single word. She’d suffered in the hospital, haunted by nightmares in the middle of the night, but he’d simply left without a goodbye and vanished overseas. And now here he was, drowning himself in whiskey, calling out for Lynne.
Hidden behind her back, the knife glinted in her grip as Cynthia stepped quietly in front of Balfour.
He looked up, dazed, his eyes suddenly soft as if he were seeing a vision. “Sweetheart!” he murmured.
He pulled her into his arms, his lips feverishly pressing against her neck.
Cynthia froze, tears welling up in her eyes before she finally wrapped her arms around him in return.
The knife clattered to the floor.
That night, Balfour was like a wild animal, leaving her aching and bruised, but for the first time in so long, Cynthia felt overwhelmed by the force of his love.
The next moming, as Cynthia reached out to touch Balfour’s waist, he shoved her away violently.
Caught off guard, she met his bloodshot, icy stare.
“Get out,” he spat.
“Who told you you could crawl into my bed?“>
…2
Lynne was about to board her flight home when Whitfield appeared at the airport, breathless from rushing to catch her.
Seeing him, Lynne was momentarily at a loss for words. She knew how busy Whitfield was–fighting Balfour, handling the Tobin family, always caught up in some crisis.
Whitfield caught her staring, and suddenly burst out laughing. Reaching out, he gently pinched her cheek.
‘I know I’m handsome, but you’re staring a little too obviously, don’t you think?”
Lynne dropped her gaze. “I can manage on my own. You didn’t have to come all this way just for me.“}
Whitfield grinned. “It wasn’t just for you, you know. I’ve wrapped up my business here, and going home was always part of my plan.”
Seeing how determined he was, Lynne didn’t argue further.”
During the journey, whenever Lynne felt thirsty or peckish, Whitfield would dig through his bag and pull out her favorite drinks, snacks, and an assortment of nuts. She realized she had packed the very same things in her own bag–down to the exact brands.
Glancing at Whitfield, who was now leaning back with his eyes closed, pretending to nap, Lynne felt a warm wave of affection wash over her. To be cherished like this–like the apple of someone’s eye–what woman in the world could resist?
Though his eyes remained shut, a small smile played at Whitfield’s lips.
From then on, Whitfield became her shadow, guarding Lynne around the clock like a personal bodyguard.
Lynne had planned to stay at a hotel, but Whitfield, almost subconsciously, suggested she come stay at his place instead. When Lynne didn’t reply, he waved his hands in a panic, trying to explain himself.
*Nobody else lives there! It’s cleaned regularly, I promise. And even though I like you, I swear I’ll be on my best behavior!”
Lynne couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, you talked me into it. At least I’ll save some money.“}
Meanwhile, Saul once again used The Tobin Group as leverage, demanding that Balfour drop all charges against Gentry.
Balfour held out for as long as he could, but in the end, the pressure was too much and he gave in to Saul’s demands. He hated it, but there was nothing else he could do.
On the surface, Saul had handed the Tobin family over to him, but the truth was, Balfour was just being used as a pawn.
Saul had never truly trusted him–not for a single moment.
