Chapter 12: Seize
Inside the James Estate in Harborview, I stood in the drawing room holding the gold bracelet my grandfather had just given me, feeling like the air had been knocked out of my chest.
“My child,” he’d said only an hour ago, voice thick with emotion as he gently patted my hand, “we have failed you. We let fate deal you a cruel hand. Or perhaps your mother spoiled Claudia too much. None of us ever noticed how much you suffered all those years.“}
Then he turned and took Jacob’s hand in his own, his grip steady, words deliberate. “As long as you truly treat Nadine well, everything our family has will be yours.“>
Jacob gave a small, polite smile. “I don’t want any of it. The entire James estate should’ve belonged to Nadine from the beginning.“}
My grandfather’s eyes softened, and as he turned to look at me, there was warmth in them I hadn’t seen since I was a little girl.
“I belong to Nadine, too.”
My heart lurched in my chest. I hadn’t felt that in a long time.”
It had been three months since I left Harborview.
Three months in London, and the whole experience still felt like a surreal blur.
Sir Andrei had publicly named me his only successor. Jacob finally told me how he felt on the night of his gala.}
I’d wandered out into the garden to get alone, trying to take it all in, when I overheard a quiet conversation between Sir Andrei and Jacob.
“Is it her, Jacob?” Sir Andrei asked.
Without any hesitation, he answered, “Yes, Sir.”
Sir Andrei gave an approving nod. “She’s got talent. I like her a lot. But when are you going to tell her how you feel?“>
Before Jacob could say anything, I accidentally stepped on a dried leaf.§
The sound was so distinct that I’d been discovered.
Jacob’s eyes snapped to mine in the next second, but I saw them soften instead of the usual guardedness.
“You heard us?“!
I gave a slow nod.§
Then he asked, “Then, Nadine, will you be my girlfriend?“}
I didn’t answer right away. Even though the divorce from Russell had been finalized and Jacob had handled the cooling–off period behind the scenes, I wasn’t ready for a new relationship. My wounds and scars from the past ran too deep.
Fully understanding me, Jacob didn’t pressure me. There wasn’t even a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, just his steady patience.} “Nadine, I don’t need your answer right now. I can wait. Until the day you’re ready.“>
I stared dumbfounded into his eyes, sparkling like countless stars, full of many colors I couldn’t comprehend.}
When he drove me home that night, he lingered momentarily before leaving the car.
Then I blurted it out: “Can you… not take down Fraizer Group just yet?“}
The air changed. It went cold in an instant. His jaw tensed.§
Before he could say anything, I rushed to explain. “It’s not because I pity Russell. In two months, it’s my grandfather’s birthday. He’s the only family member who’s ever really been kind to me. I want to see him again, and while I’m there, I want to take revenge myself.“}
His expression softened, his posture relaxed. “Alright. I’ll go with you.”
Since then, everyone has been calling Jacob my boyfriend. And I didn’t bother correcting them, because we’d planned it that way.
We were baiting Russell into making a mistake.}]
That’s why we scheduled a fake engagement party at the James Estate for the following week.
Time flew. And surprisingly, Russell didn’t show. Not once. He stayed quiet, completely unbothered. Not even a whisper.
But the day of the party came, and Jacob treated it like it was the real deal. He acted like we were truly engaged.§
When the dressing room door opened, I turned and there he was.
The man in the black custom suit stood tall, composed, and just annoyingly handsome.
Every movement of his was deliberate, refined. He looked like he belonged in a GQ spread.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
He smiled and took my hand, pressing a kiss gently on the back of it.
The warmth of his lips startled me, and I pulled my hand away instinctively.
He noticed the flush rising in my cheeks and laughed softly. “I was worried you’d run off to Russell before the ceremony even started.“N
“Impossible,” I replied without thinking.
But hearing Russell’s name still stung like an open wound. It hit that same spot in my chest, the one that always burned when I thought about him.”
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes for a moment, and imagined ripping his name out of my heart–even if it left me bleeding.S
Jacob must’ve sensed the shift in me. He rested a hand gently on my back, grounding me.
My fiancée,” he said calmly, “you’ve got nothing to be afraid of with me here.“%
“Okay,” I whispered, gripping his hand tighter than I meant to.
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“My fiancée,” he said calmly, “you’ve got nothing to be afraid of with me here.“\
“Okay,” I whispered, gripping his hand tighter than I meant to.”
The party kicked off, and the place filled quickly–tons of familiar faces from the old days.!
I scanned the crowd, half–expecting to spot Claudia. But she wasn’t there.
.
Originally, I’d planned to confront her head–on. I wanted to see her face when she realized I wasn’t the same woman she used to trample over.”
But the week passed, and she never showed.}
The Jameses said they didn’t know where she was–just that Russell took her.”
Which could only mean one thing: she’d show up tonight, smug and ready to humiliate me, clinging to him like a trophy.
But as the night wore on, neither of them showed.”
Then, right as Jacob and I stepped onto the stage to announce our engagement, everything went sideways.}
The chandelier lights above us flickered out.}
And then–an explosion, so loud it rattled the windows.
People screamed and scattered, panic spreading like wildfire.
My entire body tensed as I tightened my grip on Jacob’s hand.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice barely steady.”
“Someone’s here,” Jacob said calmly.
“Who?”
Before he could respond, a hand grabbed my arm, scorching hot against my skin.
I froze, face draining of color. I tried to shake it off, but the grip just got tighter.
I fought, struggled, but whoever it was had a hold on me like steel.
Cold sweat broke out along my spine as I felt warm breath against my ear–sharp, greedy, achingly familiar.}
“My dearest wife,” a slow and possessive voice murmured, “you’re finally back.”
