Chapter 7 - The Confrontation
The sudden shift in Julian’s demeanor did not go unnoticed by those who sought to exploit his vulnerabilities.
Marcus Vance, humiliated at the gala and seeing his window for a corporate takeover closing fast, decided to strike from another angle. If he couldn't break Julian in the boardroom, he would break the stability of Julian’s home life, creating enough scandal and chaos to force the board to declare Julian unfit for leadership.
Three days after the gala, a dark sedan pulled up to the curb near the entrance of the Harlow estate.
Avery had taken the boys to the local library for afternoon story hour and was returning home alone in her compact car to pick up some art supplies she had left behind.
As she stepped out of her car in the driveway, a sleek, mid-forties woman in an expensive trench coat stepped out of the dark sedan. It was Victoria Sterling, a high-priced corporate investigator hired secretly by Marcus Vance.
"Miss Collins?" the woman asked, holding a designer leather folder.
Avery stopped, her instincts immediately going on high alert. "Yes? Can I help you?"
"My name is Victoria Sterling. I represent a party deeply concerned with the governance and corporate leadership of Harlow Global Logistics," the woman said smoothly, stepping toward Avery. "I’d like to offer you five minutes of your time in exchange for a very comfortable life."
Avery narrowed her eyes. "I don't sell magazine subscriptions, and I'm busy."
"I'm not selling subscriptions, Miss Collins," Victoria said, opening the folder to reveal a cashier's check made out for fifty thousand dollars. "I am offering an advance. All we need is a signed statement from you regarding the... improper nature of your relationship with Julian Harlow, and the severe emotional instability and neglect you have witnessed regarding his care of his children."
Avery froze. Her blood turned to absolute ice.
"Excuse me?" Avery said, her voice shaking with sudden, burning fury.
"Let’s be realists, Avery," Victoria said, her tone dripping with patronizing sweetness. "You’re a girl from an underprivileged background, working for low wages in community centers. Julian Harlow is a billionaire. He’s using you to present a picture of a recovered family to his board. Once his corporate position is secured, he’ll discard you. Sign the statement. Take the money. Walk away. You can fund that little grief center dream of yours."
Avery looked at the check. Then she looked at Victoria Sterling.
Her hand shot out, grabbing the leather folder, and with one swift, violent motion, she ripped the statement and the check in half, tossing the pieces directly at the woman's expensive shoes.
"Get off this property," Avery said, her voice trembling not with fear, but with righteous rage. "Get off this property before I release the dogs, and tell whoever hired you that if they ever come near this family again, I will personally tear them apart with my bare hands."
Victoria’s smooth composure shattered. "You're making a catastrophic mistake, girl! You think he cares about you? You're just the nanny!"
"I am the person protecting those boys!" Avery shouted. "Now GET OUT!"
Victoria scrambled back into her sedan, her face pale, and the car sped away down the tree-lined drive.
Avery stood in the driveway, her heart pounding violently against her ribs, her breath ragged in the cold air.
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She was shaking. Not because of the threat, but because of the terrifying realization that had just hit her like a freight train:
She wasn't just defending her job. She was defending the man she had fallen desperately, hopelessly in love with.
