I Got Revenge When They Drew The Same Room Key Chapter 07

I Got Revenge When They Drew The Same Room Key Chapter 07

“Julian.”

“It doesn’t take a thousand disappointments to walk away.”

“It only takes one.”

His hand fell to his side.

By the time Nathaniel and I got in the car, Julian still hadn’t moved.

The morning sun caught his face.

He looked, for just a moment, like someone worth feeling sorry for.

But I didn’t look back.

Nathaniel didn’t say a word the whole drive.

He waited until a red light to glance over at me.

“Back there, stepping in front of me like that. Weren’t you afraid he’d actually swing?”

I froze for a moment.

“I didn’t think about it.”

Nathaniel laughed, quiet and low.

“Same as when we were kids.”

I turned to look at him.

His fingers tapped against the steering wheel, and his voice carried something lighter than usual.

“You probably don’t even remember.”

“When we were kids, you threw yourself in front of Julian to stop me from hitting him.”

Of course I remembered.

I just never expected him to.

Nathaniel kept his eyes on the road, his voice dropping.

“After that day, I kept noticing you.”

*Julian would abandon you in the middle of a party, and you’d wait for him in the garden by yourself

“When your family went bankrupt, you went with your dad to the bank to beg for an extension on the loans The heel of your shoe snapped on the way out, but you kept walking like nothing had happened.”

“And at the auction, you wanted that emerald brooch so badly. But Julian told you to keep a low profile, and

you didn’t even lift your paddle.”

My throat tightened.

Julian probably didn’t remember any of it.

But Nathaniel did.

He caught my silence and smiled.

“Don’t read into it.”

“I’m not trying to score points here.”

“I just want you to know, this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

“It was never about the Crofts tossing you aside and the Reeds swooping in.”

“I always knew he didn’t deserve you.”

My eyes stung before I could stop them.

I quickly looked away.

“Nathaniel.”

“This is just a business arrangement.”

He nodded.

“I know.”

“So I won’t ask you to feel something you don’t.”

“But everything I promised you, I’ll deliver.”

“The Reeds will assume Sterling’s debt.”

“Your dad’s old projects, I’ll have my acquisitions team take another look at them.”

“As for Julian…”

He paused, and his smile turned dangerous.

“If he comes near you again, I’ll handle him.”

I watched the city blur past the window.

The weight I’d been carrying in my chest for months shifted, just enough to let me breathe.

That night, Nathaniel took me to the Reed estate.

He didn’t just assume I’d move into the master bedroom the way Julian would have.

He had the housekeeper set up the guest suite on the second floor, the one with the best light.

“This one’s yours.”

“The lock code is yours alone. Nobody else has it.”

“We’re married, but you don’t have to adapt to my life on anyone’s timeline but your own.”

He set a drafted contract on the table.

“Everything I promised you before the marriage, it’s all in writing.”

“Take your time with it.”

I flipped open the first page.

There was nothing about playing the perfect wife at galas on the Reeds’ behalf.

Nothing about producing an heir right away.

The first clause read: [Hazel retains full signing authority and decision-making power over Sterling

Corporation.]

The second: [If at any point during the marriage Nathaniel engages in infidelity, public humiliation, or any

action that damages Hazel’s reputation, Hazel may terminate the marriage without conditions and receive

additional compensation from Reed Enterprises.]

I read that line twice, and something close to a smile crossed my face.

“You drafted this like you’re the threat I need protection from.”

Nathaniel leaned against the doorframe.

“Exactly.”

“That’s the point.”

Every promise Julian ever made me was just words.

He said he’d protect me.

Said he’d marry me.

Told me not to be afraid.

But the second Chloe was in the room, every one of those promises turned to dust.

Nathaniel didn’t say much at all.

But he handed me the keys to every exit in writing.

It took Julian exactly three days to come looking for me.