Heat prickles along my spine. They can talk about me all they want—spit on the company, my work, finances, and pride—but when they bring Aria into it… My knuckles ache from how tightly I’m clenching my fists inside my pocket.
I hear Ella’s voice ringing in my head. Cole, don’t. Not yet. Not unless you want to lose everything. And so, I force myself to stay calm.
Toby chuckles. “Face it, Cole. You’re not stable or reliable. You’re a single dad trying to run a company that’s falling apart. The Morgans aren’t stupid. They’ll pick someone with real resources.”
My pulse hammers hard enough to shake my vision. Still, I hold back. I keep my breathing steady, my eyes on the gravel, hands at my sides.
I can take it. I’ve taken worse.
But then Calista says the words that rip it all apart. “He only thinks he has a shot because he’s sleeping with little Miss Morgan.”
A cold wave crashes through my body. Toby joins in, voice raised so everyone hears it. “The system’s rigged, people. The princess screws the contractor, and suddenly, he gets the job? How convenient.”
Someone laughs while another man mutters, “Damn.”
Calista smirks, voice dripping poison. “Don’t worry, Cole. I’m sure Ella will pat your head and tell you that you tried your best, right before she hands you the contract she picked for you in bed.”
“Shut up!” I bellow just as something in me snaps.
More like breaks.
It’s a clean, violent shift inside me. A switch flipped, a line crossed too far. My body moves before my mind can catch up. I take one step, a deep breath, and pull my fist back before letting it connect with Toby’s jaw.
He goes down hard, smacking the dirt with a stunned grunt. Gasps explode around us, boots scramble back, as someone else swears loudly. I stand there, chest heaving, shoulders tight, fists still curled but unmoving.
Calista screams, rushing to Toby as he rolls to his side, groaning. “What is WRONG with you?” she screeches.
But I barely hear her. My ears ring with my own pulse, vision is a tunnel of white-hot fury, throat tasting like metal and regret. Because I didn’t just punch Toby. I punched every word he said about Ella and the sickening image he painted of her.
Her name is the last thing that should come out of his filthy mouth. I know I’ve risked everything by hitting him, but I don’t care. I need to protect Ella and make sure that she’s not dragged through the mud because of me.
Someone yells, “Fighting on the Morgan property? Are you insane?”
Another chimes in, “He swung first, I saw it!”
But the voice that cuts through it all is Hank Morgan’s. “Enough!”
Every head snaps toward the barn door. Hank is already striding forward, flanked by Zane, Jace, and Beck. An army of boots and broad shoulders.
Ella trails behind them, her panicked eyes finding mine. The look on her face makes my chest crack. She looks terrified. Not of me, but of what this means. Of what happens now.
Zane steps between me and Toby. “Break it up.”
Jace checks the side of Toby’s face with zero sympathy. “One punch. You’ll live.”
Beck lifts his chin. “Could’ve been worse.”
Calista practically shrieks. “He attacked us! He—“
“Shut up,” Hank says calmly, and she actually does.
He then turns to the crowd, commanding the room without raising his voice. “We’ve reached a decision.”
Silence falls instantly. My heart doesn’t beat—it slams. Hank looks across the contractors; his gaze is firm and unshakeable. “The construction company we are going with is—“
My breath stops. Ella grips her hands together tightly in front of her, while Calista holds Toby like they’re in the middle of a crime drama.
Hank finishes the sentence. ”—Dawson Construction. Cole’s bid wins.”
