Chapter 10 10

The cold night air of Williamsburg hit Flora's face like a slap.

She walked fast down the concrete sidewalk, her high heels clicking erratically. Hot tears spilled over her eyelashes, blurring the streetlights into glowing streaks. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, feeling physically sick.

Josiah's long legs easily caught up to her.

He took off his jacket and draped it over her shaking shoulders. The heavy fabric, carrying the heat of his body and the faint smell of cedar, settled over her.

Flora stopped walking. She turned to face him, her chest heaving.

"I'm so sorry," Flora choked out, swiping angrily at her wet cheeks. "I shouldn't have brought you here. I shouldn't have let him humiliate you like that."

Josiah stepped closer. He raised his hands and cupped her face. His thumbs gently wiped the tears from her skin. His touch was burning hot.

"You are the best wife a man could ask for," Josiah said. His voice was a low, rough whisper that vibrated straight into her bones.

Flora leaned into his chest. She closed her eyes, letting his steady heartbeat ground her.

Then, her eyes snapped open. The sadness in her chest evaporated, instantly replaced by a cold, hard fury.

She pushed herself out of his arms. She turned around, staring back at the glowing sign of the restaurant.

"No," Flora said, her voice dropping to a deadly calm. "I am not letting him get away with this."

Josiah grabbed her arm. "Flora, let it go. He's not worth it."

He didn't want her going back in. He had his own plans to destroy Grant, plans that involved corporate sabotage and federal prison.

Flora ripped her arm out of his grip. "He called you a parasite. I'm going to show everyone who the real parasite is."

She turned on her heel and marched straight back to the restaurant. She pushed through the front doors like a hurricane.

Josiah cursed under his breath and followed her.

Inside the private room, Grant was laughing, trying to play off the scene to his uncomfortable friends.

The heavy wooden door flew open, slamming violently against the wall.

Flora stood in the doorway. Her eyes were lethal.

"Let's talk about how you built your 'empire' using Eleanor's trust fund," Flora continued, taking a confident step into the center of the room. She reached into her purse with steady hands.

Over the past few weeks, Flora had been quietly asking around the hospital, piecing together the hushed gossip from the senior nursing staff who had worked there for decades. She had meticulously matched their rumors with public property records and marriage announcements she found online, digging until the ugly truth came to light.

Flora pulled a folded stack of papers from her bag, showing the printed property and business registration records to the room. "Let's talk about the three million dollars your wife's father wired you to save your failing firm last year. You didn't earn a single dime of your wealth, Grant. You married it, and you're bleeding them dry."

The room erupted into shocked gasps. People stared at Grant, their eyes filled with sudden disgust.

Grant's face turned the color of ash. A vein bulged in his forehead. He let out a feral roar and lunged across the room, reaching for Flora's phone.

He never made it.

Josiah stepped in front of Flora. He moved with terrifying, unnatural speed.

Josiah didn't raise his hands. He just stood there, towering over Grant. His eyes were dead, flat, and filled with a promise of absolute violence.

"I have the server logs from the hospital's private network for the last three months," Josiah said. His voice was barely above a whisper, but it cut through the heavy silence of the room like a razor blade. "Take one more step, and your wife's father will see every single inappropriate message you've ever sent to his staff."

The chilling precision of the threat, delivered with absolute, emotionless certainty, hit Grant like a physical wall. Grant froze mid-step, his breathing ragged, his eyes wide with sudden, suffocating panic as he realized his entire carefully constructed life was on the verge of collapse. He backed away, his hands trembling at his sides.

Flora folded the papers and put them back in her purse. She linked her arm through Josiah's.

"My husband is a genius going through a hard time," Flora said proudly, looking at the silent room. "You, Grant, are just a parasite with no decency."

Someone in the back of the room started clapping. Slow, mocking applause aimed at Grant.

Flora turned and walked out, Josiah right beside her.

Her spine was perfectly straight. There were no more tears.

Out on the street, Josiah looked at her profile. The streetlights caught the fierce, beautiful determination in her eyes. A deep, dangerous smile curved his lips.

"Did you mean what you said?" Flora asked, glancing at him. "About breaking his legs?"

Josiah stopped walking. He looked down into her eyes and nodded slowly. "Every word."

Across the street, parked in the shadows, Milo sat in the black sedan. He pressed the stop button on his directional microphone recorder.