Chapter 180

Later that week, I worked on the books for Ever After Weddings at my apartment. Surrounded by paperwork, checks, ledgers, and my laptop, I was alone except for Jeffrey, who was doing his rounds while looking out the windows. I had just finished entering the last deposit into the spreadsheet when an alarm chimed on my phone.

When I checked the notification, it read, Confirm Reservation – Venue – Lisa/Bob Wedding.

Inwardly, I cringed. I had been procrastinating on anything related to Lisa and Bob’s wedding for a while now, as much as I could without it becoming obvious to others. I had wanted to use it as an opportunity to get revenge on Bob, but ever since that bomb went off in Lisa’s car, I had been wondering if the wedding should even occur at all.

I chewed on my lower lip. Lisa was only a few years younger than I was. Fresh out of college, she was probably too naïve to see the path that Bob was taking her down.

As much as I disliked Lisa and blamed her for some of the things that had happened to me, I didn’t want to see her get hurt, especially not by Bob. If Bob was responsible for the bomb in her car—and all evidence pointed to “yes” at this point—then there was no telling what limits he would go to get what he wanted with her.

I shuddered at the thought.

Jeffrey must have caught on to that slight movement because he stopped his patrol and stared at me for a moment.

“Is everything all right?” he asked.

I set my phone down and shook my head.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he continued.

I rubbed my hands over my face and through my hair.

Was this really something that I wanted to discuss with one of Andrew’s personal guards? I trusted Jeffrey with my life, but this wasn’t even something that I should be involved in, let alone Jeffrey. I didn’t want to violate Andrew’s trust by discussing his daughter’s safety with someone else…

Then again, I didn’t know anyone better to advise me on matters of security.

“Do you think that Lisa is safe with Bob?” I asked.

Jeffrey’s brow twitched, but he otherwise did not physically react to the question.

“Do you?”

I hesitated.

“No. Not at all. But I want your opinion.”

Jeffrey nodded.

“I think that she is safe so long as she serves a purpose to him.”

Those words chilled me to the bone.

“And what if that purpose involves her getting hurt…like when her car was bombed?”

“Then I think that you already know the answer.”

My stomach knotted up. I felt as though I could vomit.

“How can we protect her?”

Jeffrey’s brow cocked, as though he was surprised that I would care enough to ask that.

“We talk to her father.”

That night, I was determined to take Jeffrey’s advice. Before dinner, I texted Andrew that I needed to talk to him and then drove to the mansion. I rehearsed what I was going to say in my head, but nothing sounded quite right.

As I walked into the foyer, Parker stood there waiting to greet me, as always.

“Good evening, Ms. Blanchard. His Highness is waiting for you in his home office,” he said.

Good. At least Andrew had finished his work early, which meant that he was taking my need to talk to him seriously.

I nodded to Parker and motioned for him to proceed. He turned on his heel and led me to the home office, though I could have found my way there blindfolded by that point.

As we approached the doors to the home office, Parker nodded to each of the guards, who nodded back and held the doors open for him. Parker stepped into the home office, and I followed right behind him.

“Your Highness, I have Ms. Blanchard here to see you,” Parker announced.

Andrew looked up from his phone with a broad smile.

“Thank you, Parker. You are dismissed.”

With a bow to Andrew and me, Parker left the room. The doors closed behind me once I was fully inside.

“Hello, my love.”

Andrew walked over to me, wrapped me in his arms, and kissed me gently on the lips. I returned the hug and kiss, but I did not give in to the passion that normally sparked between us. Andrew’s smile slacked.

“You said that we needed to talk?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Yes, we do, and it’s not about an easy subject.”

Andrew chuckled dryly.

“Nothing really is nowadays, is it?”

I smiled slightly.

“No, I suppose not.” I rubbed my hand up and down his upper arm, trying to gather my courage. “I want to talk about Lisa marrying Bob.”

When I looked up, a shadow crossed Andrew’s face. It was gone quickly, but there was no mistaking that it had been there.

“What about it?”

“I…well, I think that we need to show her the evidence that Mr. Smith has gathered against Bob. I don’t want her to go into this marriage without knowing what he has done first…if she doesn’t already know.” I added the last part under my breath.

Andrew shook his head and released his hold on me.

“No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“She needs to know the kind of man that’s about to marry. She has to find out before it’s too late, so that she can leave him before she gets married.”

Andrew ran his hand through his hair.

“I understand what you’re saying, and I appreciate that you want to warn her.” He smiled sadly. “It actually means the world to me that you want to protect my daughter, Crystal, but we can’t take the risk of her warning Bob about the investigation.”

“Do you really think that she would do that if you showed her everything that he’s done?”

Andrew shrugged.

“I don’t know. I love her with all my heart, but around Bob…she’s not my little girl anymore.”

My heart broke for Andrew upon hearing that. I reached out and wrapped my arms around his waist, squeezing tight.

“I’m so sorry, Andrew. I wish that I could help you with that or somehow make it better.”

Andrew squeezed me back and planted a kiss on the top of my head.

“It’s not your fault, Crystal. I should have paid more attention to her and to what their relationship was doing to her.”

“You are the most devoted father I have ever seen. It’s not your fault, either.”

We stood like that in silence for several minutes, enjoying each other and the warmth of our mutual embrace. Then, reluctantly, I lifted my head to look at Andrew’s face and brushed a stray hair away from his temple.

“What do you want to do about their marriage, my love?” I asked. “I can’t, in good conscience, let an innocent young woman marry a monster like that.”

Andrew stroked my hair, smiling tenderly.

“We’ll talk to her. Together. We’ll get her to see the truth without showing her anything that she can take back to Bob.”

Hopefully, that will be enough, I thought.

“Whatever you wish.”