Chapter 6 – His Uncle
“Welcome to Washington, D.C., Mistress.”
A faint smile curved my lips as the guard assisted me off the private jet. I inhaled deeply–the air here tasted like liberation.
“Mon Amore, I’ve waited four years. Don’t tell me you’re here just to toy with me.”
I couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped me, gazing at the man who had silently adored me all those years while I wasted myself loving Christopher Nichols.
Vernon Nichols–Christopher’s uncle. Irresistibly tall, built like a Greek god, and far too handsome for his own good. Right now, he was studying me with a deep frown.
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The first time I crossed paths with Vernon, I was crashing Christopher’s party in what I then believed to be my most seductive outfit, desperate for his attention.
But Christopher wasn’t impressed. “If you wanted to be a stripper, Noelle, you could’ve just said so, he’d sneered. His friends, and Jocelyn, howled with laughter. Jocelyn dumped wine on me for good measure.
Utterly humiliated, I stumbled to a nearby bar, got black–out drunk, and nearly fell prey to a group of thugs. Vernon saved me that night.
We had a one–night stand.
I left before dawn and vanished. Two weeks later, I saw him again–at a Nichols family gathering. That was when I learned he was Christopher’s youngest uncle: wealthy,
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powerful, and dangerous.
He pursued me for a time, but I pushed him away. I loved Christopher too much. Even after what happened, I couldn’t look Vernon in the eye.
He had no idea I eventually married Christopher. Until six months ago.
That’s when he proposed–not for love, but as a business arrangement. Marry him and help him claim his grandfather’s inheritance, and in return, he’d finance my design career and support my brand. Vernon always believed in me, even when I avoided him like a ghost.
I said no at first. He told me I’d change my mind.
And he was right. When I caught Christopher
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cheating, I realized I was done being his fool.
Twelve years of devotion had earned me nothing but shame. It was time I chose someone bigger. Better.
“I’m not here for games, Vernon,” I said. “I want revenge.”
He offered me his arm. I took it, letting him lead me inside.
“You’ve had a long flight. Rest first,” he suggested.
I shook my head. “No. We need to talk–now.”
He studied me. “You’ve changed.”
“Bitter women usually do.”
“No,” he murmured. “You look… lethal.”
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I smiled faintly. “Good. I am.”
“You’re bleeding.”
I looked down. My hand was scraped raw from gripping the aircraft door too tightly. “It’s nothing.”
“You always say that,” he said, just like he had the night he found me bleeding in an alley years ago.
He handed me a chilled towel. “I saw the gala. The footage.”
“Did you enjoy the performance?” I asked as I cleaned my hand.
“You humiliated Christopher in front of half of Manhattan. He looked like he swallowed a
landmine.”
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“Perfect.”
A beat passed. “Your room’s ready. Stay as long as you need.”
My breath hitched. “You kept the studio?”
“Didn’t touch a thing.”
Four years ago, Vernon had built me a studio in his home. When Jocelyn briefly left Christopher, I thought it was my chance- and I left Vernon behind.
Tears pricked my eyes. “Thank you.”
He handed me a folder. “Twenty–five fashion houses reached out. They want your designs -full rights. Cash offers.”
“I’m not selling.”
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“I told them that.”
I raked my fingers through my hair and collapsed into the nearest seat. “I lost the baby,” I whispered.
He was silent.
“It’s what I wanted… but it still hurts.”
He crouched in front of me, brushing my hand gently. “Then let it hurt.”
We sat quietly for a while.
Then I spoke again. “Christopher and Jocelyn… they killed my brother. My father knew. He let it happen.”
Vernon’s jaw clenched. “My nephew has always been trash.”
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“They tried to kill me, too.”
He stilled. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“I’m telling you now,” I said, voice steely. “I want them to pay for everything.”
Vernon nodded slowly. “We will, love. I promise.”
Then he stood. “But first… sleep. Tomorrow, we marry.”
Tomorrow, I would become Christopher’s uncle’s wife.
And tomorrow, I would begin to destroy them all.
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