The expensive coat fabric was smeared with dust. Only when the cuffs clicked shut did he start looking around, trying to identify who was behind it.
Jasper watched from his car. Cold. Detached.
Frank was shocked. Truly shocked—no bravado, no smirk. Real panic cracked through his mask of confidence at last.
Jasper's phone vibrated.
A message from Nolan.
“Clean. Press release sent. Everything went as planned.”
They had been in a cold war for five days now—short phrases, minimal contact. Jasper tolerated it only for Lynn’s sake. Because if he hit Nolan, he would lose her for good.
But later… later they would talk.
If Nolan ever dared hurt her.
Jasper kept watching as Frank was violently shoved into the back of a government car. The door slammed shut, sealing the fate of the man who had nearly destroyed them all. A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Jasper’s mouth.
Frank had thought he was untouchable. That he could threaten, manipulate, ruin lives with impunity.
He was wrong.
Jasper turned the ignition. The engine hummed to life, a low, powerful sound. He pulled out of the parking lot. The clinic was ahead, an emergency operation waiting for him—routine work that, for a precious while, pushed everything personal aside.
He glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror. He should have felt relieved.
But he didn’t. Only profoundly empty. The rage was gone, leaving a vacuum where satisfaction should have been.
Fine. Later. For now—work. Life didn’t wait.And Frank could sit in jail for a while. He could think about life. If he was capable of thinking at all.
CHAPTER 50
Nina hated hospitals. Even private ones. Even the kind that smelled like coffee and expensive diffusers. But after the accident, she needed a routine check-up.
She sat in the hallway, scrolling through the news on her phone, pretending to feel calm. But she didn’t. In the past few weeks,“calm” hadn’t been part of her vocabulary at all.
A nurse stepped out of the exam room.
“Ms. Osborne, the doctor can see you in about ten minutes.”
Nina nodded, put her phone away, and inhaled deeply. Everything was fine. Everything was under control.
At that moment, someone turned the corner, and she lifted her gaze straight into Jasper’s eyes.
Their stares collided. Pretending she hadn't seen him would have been pointless.
He glanced briefly at the folder in her hands, then back at her eyes. He stopped beside her. Clearly, he hadn’t expected to find her here.
“Came for your follow-up?” he asked.
“Yes,” Nina said, rising from her seat so they stood level.
From the reception area came a loud voice:
“Did you hear Frank Osborne got picked up today?”
“Seriously?”
