Page 89 of Broken Blades

"Actually, I prefer older men."

And there she was.

Chapter 17

Chastity

I followed the tunnel toward where I'd last seen Wyatt disappear with a small girl who needed her skates tied. The noise of the charity event dulled behind me—laughter and scraping blades replaced by echoing concrete and fluorescent buzz.

Then I heard voices.

His first—low, sharp, vibrating with something I'd never heard from him before.

Not anger.

Worse.

Pain.

A woman's voice followed. Cold. Practiced. The kind of voice that knew exactly where to cut for maximum damage.

I slowed. Pressed against the wall just before the corner.

"This little… relationship is PR at best, blackmail at worst."

My stomach dropped. Plummeted straight through the floor.

I peered around the edge. She stood there—tall, elegant, wearing a cashmere coat that probably cost more than my tuition. Dark hair swept into a chignon. Makeup flawless. Everything about her screamed wealth, control, perfection.

Barbara Hale. My father's merger partner.

Wyatt's ex-wife.

The woman in all those photos online—the ones from before the divorce, before the scandal, before everything went to hell. She looked exactly like I'd imagined. Polished. Untouchable. Cruel in the way only beautiful, powerful women could be.

Wyatt stood rigid as stone, jaw locked, hands clenched at his sides. "It's not your business." His voice came out flat. Dead.

She stepped closer—into his space with the kind of familiarity that made my chest tighten with something hot and uncomfortable.

"You don't date fresh-faced college girls." Her tone dripped with condescension. "You ruin them. I'm not letting you use Thomas's daughter in your delusions."

Heat flooded my face. My chest. My entire body. Use me? Delusions?

Every protective instinct I'd been trying to suppress roared to life. I didn't think. Didn't plan. Didn't calculate the consequences.

I just moved. Stepped around the corner and walked straight up to Wyatt's side. Positioned myself there deliberately—claiming space, making a statement.

His head snapped toward me. Eyes wide. Surprised. Almost… panicked.

Barbara's expression shifted—cool assessment, faint irritation, something else I couldn't quite name.

"Actually," I said, voice steadier than I felt, "I prefer older men."

The words hung in the air between us.

Wyatt's entire body went still. Frozen. Like I'd just detonated something he hadn't seen coming.

Barbara's smile turned sharp. Predatory. "Chastity. How lovely." She extended a hand like we were meeting at a networking event. "Barbara Hale. I'm working with your father on the merger."