Page 18 of Ruin Me Sweetly

I gathered the laundry and carried it into the box room where Amber had left the airer. I was hanging things up when I found Luke’s socks tangled in with the rest. He’d been staying over more often lately, and his toothbrush now had a permanent spot in my bathroom. Instead of putting me off, it felt nice.

Outside this house, Luke Newbury was a wealthy businessman. But to me, he was just Luke. I lifted a grey pair of his shorts, smoothing the fabric between my fingers. I’d tried them on once—quite comfortable, actually. I bit my lip.

They most definitely looked better on him.

I ached everywhere, and I still wanted more.

What was wrong with me?

I sighed and hung the shorts up.

It was a long wait until tonight.

Chapter 10

Luke

“Did my PI send you all the new evidence?” I asked, pacing across the conservatory.

“Yes, Mr Newbury. But Ms. Rayne will need to lodge a complaint directly at her local police station. I can provide a cover letter to go with the proof. I’ve already begun a file to document every single infraction Mrs. Newbury has committed.”

I grimaced at the Jezebel’s name still linked to mine. My lawyer would keep on top of it all, because this would end up in court eventually. I wasn’t about to let her wreak havoc in my life again. Once was enough.

“Okay. Thanks, Stefan.”

I listened as he confirmed the legal process once more. It only angered me further.

Sadie could claim mental illness, and all of this would be dismissed as a nuisance rather than a real threat. This could take years to convict her.

The holidays meant I couldn’t look into a bodyguard for Bella right now, but I could feel the danger settling in my gut all the same.

Once Stefan was done, I hung up and stared out into Bella’s garden. So much responsibility resting on one set of shoulders. I’d listened to her on every single date we went on. I’d listened to both of them in their own home—mundane conversations that revealed exactly how deep their bond ran, forged through tragedies and hardships Michael had painstakingly uncovered for me.

My home was already in the midst of renovations. A place rebuilt for all of them.

A fresh start for the whole family, possibly even for that third-nipple menace Zach, if he panned out. He needed to become a man, and Clive Rayne was no longer around to make sure of it.

There was less malice in him and the way he gravitated towards Amber was no coincidence. All three of them had history. I’d be respectful, for Bella’s sake.

That didn’t mean I couldn’t have some fun with my future stepson.

❧ ❧ ❧

The following day, I went straight to my office to attend a meeting with Michael. My PA ushered him in and left again. Security had been tightened across the board—business and personal guards deployed.

All because of one email Michael had forwarded, then deleted, from Bella’s account. She wasn’t big on social media, one account with a handful of followers and Amber. It was her LinkedIn profile that had been tampered with, the point where her data had been harvested.

I loaded my computer and opened my emails to find the one Michael had sent.

[email protected]

“Her middle name is Christina,” I murmured, beginning to read.

Michael nodded. He already knew. The man was in his early fifties, an ex-Met Police officer. He understood the system, and exactly how to exploit it.

When you steal from others. There are consequences.

WATCH YOUR BACK.