“I thought you were
ere moving out,” Jeffrey said, holding Reba’s gaze. “What are you still doing here?”
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“I don’t need you to tell me, Reba shot back, snatching her suitcase. This ce is <b>a </b>dump. I can’t stay here another second.” Then she walked out without another word.
Seeing how determined she was, Jeffrey narrowed his eyes. “Wait
His voice made Reba stop in her tracks.
Before she could speak, he eyed her suitcase and said to the bodyguard outside, “Check Ms. Jensen’s suitcase. Make sure she isn’t taking anything that’s
not <b>hers</b>.”
“What do you mean by that?” Reba asked as she instinctively pulled her suitcase closer.
“Witor you tried to take the jewelry earlier, I have reason to be concerned about what else might be in your suitcase, Jeffrey said, knowing exactly how to push her to her limits. “It’s better for everyone if <b>we </b>check its contents.”
“Is that really how you see me?” Reba asked, <b>her </b>eyes filled with both disappointment and anger.
For a brief moment, Joffrey felt his heart soften. But remembering her determined expression when she was preparing to leave, he replied without emotion, “Yes, it is.”
Reba’s heart ached with a sharp, physical pain, She Fad made peace with Jeffrey’sck of love for her and even grown ustomed to his cold distance:
But she couldn’t bear him humiliating her in front of Andrea this wasn’t just questioning her character, but felt like a direct insult to her dignity.
won’t let you vite my privacy like this,” Reba said, her grip on the suitcase handle tightening. “If you want it inspected, call the police. Otherwise, you’ll have to cut my hand off to get <b>this </b><b>suitcase</b>.”
<b>She </b>met his gaze with the same defiant expression he <b>had </b>seen before.”
Jeffrey stepped closer and began prying her fingers from the suitcase one by one, ignoring <b>her </b>stubborn resistance
<b>Though </b>she held on with all her strength, he overpowered her effortlessly.
He handed the suitcase to a bodyguard, his tone all business. “Search everything thoroughly. Don’t miss a singleer.”
“Yes, sir, the bodyguard replied promptly.
“Jeffrey!” Tears welled up in Reba’s <b>eyes </b><b>as </b>she snatched the suitcase back. <b>She </b><b>had </b>never felt so humiliated in her entire life.
Jeffrey’s expression remained cold, all traces of the warmth and tenderness he once had now gone from <b>his </b>eyes.
“Do you really need to crush my dignity to feel satisfied?” In that moment, all the pride Reba had carried since childhood waspletely shattered, leaving only the broken shell of a fallen heiress. “You know damn well I’d never take anything of yours!”
Of course Jeffrey knew that. He understood Rebeca’s character better than anyone and was certain she wouldn’t take anything else. He simply wanted her to understand the consequences of her poor choices.
*Maybe we should just let this go, Andrea suggested, recognizing Jeffrey’s hesitation from his expression and stepping forward to give him an honorable way out. “You and Reba were manied after <b>all</b>, so even if she took something, it would be perfectly understandable.”
Would y
I you just shut up? Reba said, he voice filled with the same contempt <b>she </b>always felt for Andrea.
Jeffrey felt a familiar surga of frustration, “She’s so impulsive–always speaking without thinking when she’s upset. That sharp tongue of hers is going to
get her destroyed out there. Why can’t she understand it’s safer here with me?‘ he thought.
“Just get out of here. For Andrea’s sake, I’ll let it slide this time,” he <b>said</b>, though his words left Reba feelingpletely dismissed.
Reba grabbed her suitcase and was about to give them <b>a </b><b>piece </b>of her mind.
Just then Victor came in and announced, “Mr. Hanson, Ms. Jensen, Mr. Samuel Hanson is <b>back</b>.”
Everyone froze. Before they could even react, Samuel came bouncing in behind Victor, looking adorable in his tiny overalls.
Samuel’s eyes scanned the room beforending on the suitcase in Reba’s hand. “Mommy,” he asked in that sweet–but–serious way of his, “howe you’ve got the suitcase out?”
Reba tried to say something, but couldn’te up with a good exnation.
“That’s my suitcase, buddy,” Jeffrey cut in, crouching down to Samuel’s level. “Daddy’s gotta go away for work for a few days, You be good for Mommy while I’m gone, okay?”
Samuel nodded obediently and said, “Okay.”
Jeffrey ruffled his hair and replied, “That’s my good boy.”
Samuel looked toward Andrea and asked, “Who’s this?”
“She’s Daddy’s assistant,” Jeffrey <b>said </b>smoothly without hesitation, “and she’sing with
on my
business trip.”
Reba’s grip tightened unconsciously on the suitcase handle, though her expression remained perfectlyposed
Jaffrey rose and naturally took the suitcase from her, kissing her lips in his usual manner.’m heading out how. Call me if you miss me, alright?”
Fighting down her difort, Reba managed a stiff response “Got it”
“Be good,” Jeffrey murmured, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. His fingers trailed along her jaw before Engering at her earlobe. “Wait for me
“You <b>should </b>hurry and go now, or <b>you’ll </b>miss your flight, Reba urged <b>him</b>.
She couldn’t stand being near him for even <b>a </b><b>second </b><b>longer</b>. All she <b>wanted </b><b>was </b>for <b>him </b>to be gone.
Noticing her difort, Jeffrey leaned in and gave her a quick, deliberate kiss again before pulling away–too fast for her to react.
By the time she looked up with anger in her eyes, he <b>was </b>already walking out with her suitcase, with Andrea following close behind.
“Mommy,” Samuel said softly as they were leaving
Reba pushed her feelings aside and turned to him calmly. “What is it, sweetheart?”
Samuel started to say something, but then hesitated before speaking again. “It’s lunchtime. Should we go eat?”
“Of <b>course</b><b>,</b>” Reba replied with a gentle smile.
Throughout their meal, Reba’s mind kept returhing to what had just happened.
‘He lied to Samuel without even batting an eye, is he really not worried I’ll tell Samuel about his affair? And why did he kiss me like that when he’s <b>clearly </b>seeing someone else?‘ she thought.
Then something hit her–he’d taken her suitcase with all her important documents inside, including her passport and driver’s license that she used constantly
She grabbed her phone and texted him. When are you going to return my suitcase?]
19:53 Sun, 14 Sept
Jeffrey saw the message but didn’t respond. Nearly an hourter<b>, </b>another message came through.
He expected it to be Reba urging him again, but it was a voice message from Samuel
w
“Daddy, thatdy from earlier: she wasn’t really your secretary, was she?” Samuel <b>said</b>.
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Jeffrey froze at the unexpected question. His fingers moved to reply, but then he hesitated. He had told Samuel he was traveling for work, which meant his son would expect him to be on a ne, far out of reach.
Samuel waited in his room, his eyes glued to his phone. A reply from Jeffrey would be all the proof he needed–his father was still in town, and the business trip was a lie.
But Jeffrey was his father after all, too clever to make such a simple mistake.
Meanwhile, after waiting several hours without any response, Reba finally decided to call him.
The moment the call connected, before she could even speak, Andrea’s voice came through. “Jeffrey, I’m finished with my shower.”
“Go ahead and get some rest. I’ve got to take this,” Jeffrey said to Andrea, his tone softening in a way that struck Reba as unusually tender.
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19:53 Sun, 14 Sept