Chapter 86
Because Sylvia had called in interpol, it didn’t take them long to find Julian in his hotel room,
He was in bed with a much older, wealthy–looking woman. The sight of the officers bursting in made Julian shout in alarm, while the woman seran to cover herself with a blanket.
“Julian, you scumbag! Give me back my photos!” Angel lunged at him, grabbing a mop from a nearby cart and swinging it wildly
Julian dodged a few hits before regaining his composure. He calmly buttoned up his shirt, glanced at the interpol agents, and sneered. “Well, Angel you’ve certainly grown a spine. Bringing some foreign muscle to deal with me? Tell them to get lost, or your little photoshoot is going viral.
Angel, trembling with tage, raised her hand to strike him again, but Sylvia stopped her.
Sylvia looked coldly at Julian and gestured to the agents. “They aren’t just anybody, Julian. They’re with Interpol. Hand over Angel’s photos now, and maybe you’ll get off a little easier. Otherwise, you can explain yourself to an international court.”
Julian froze, then laughed. ‘Interpol? What a joke.‘
His crimes were mostly conning women out of their money, how would that attract Interpol?
Just then, a blond, blue–eyed agent stepped forward and slammed his credentials on the table.
One look was all it took. A wave of terror washed over Julian and his legs went weak. He couldn’t believe he’d actually tangled with interpol.
The agents were looking to Sylvia for the signal to arrest him.
It clicked. He glared at Sylvia, his face contorted with rage. “This was you!”
He lunged for her, but before he could even touch her, the agents moved as one.
“You piece of trash! You think you can touch our friend?” a burly agent yelled, decking Julian with a single punch.
As Julian reeled, another agent pinned him to the floor with a heavy boot on his back. “You’re a dead man! You don’t mess with Ms. Sullivan!”
Julian felt like his bones were being crushed to dust. ‘How the hell are these Interpol agents so damn protective of Sylvia?” he thought in utter disbelief.
Before he could beg for mercy, a third agent kicked him hard, sending him skidding across the floor.
The last agent held up a small camera, having recorded Julian’s assault on Sylvia.
He then pulled out a laptop and, using a program, breached all of Julian’s online accounts.
The agent found Angel’s explicit photos and deleted them permanently.
He gave Sylvia a nod, and with her silent approval, the agents hauled Julian out of the room.
With Interpol involved, Julian was facing serious charges.
Meanwhile, in the hallway, a man in a suit relayed what he’d just seen into his phone.
“Mr. Blair, Julian Vance has been taken into custody. Ms. Sullivan is unharmed.”
The caller was Chase Ridge, Byron’s assistant. Though Byron had let Sylvia handle it, he’d been worried she might be in danger and had sent Chase to keep an eye on things.
Standing before the floor–to–ceiling window in his office, Byron’s imposing figure relaxed. The knot of anxiety in his chest finally loosened.
1/3
Chapter 86
He returned to his desk, picked up the receiver of his landline, and his voice was firm.
Start the meeting.
The meeting was supposed to have started an hour ago, but he’d been too restless to focus.
Now that he knew Sylvia was safe, a strange sense of calm settled over him.
After ensuring the photos were destroyed, Sylvia was heading back to her casting call.
“Sylvia.”
Angel’s voice was hesitant as Sylvia stepped into the elevator. “Let me buy you dinner tonight.”
Without Sylvia, she never would have gotten out of this mess so easily. Not to mention, her brother, Byron, would have torn her to shreds.
Her opinion of Sylvia was changing.
The words left her mouth before she could stop them, and she tensed, worried Sylvia would say no after how badly she’d treated her in the past.
Sylvia was quiet for a moment. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, she nodded. “Call me with the details.”
‘I always knew Angel wasn’t a bad person,‘ Sylvia thought. ‘Joanna was the one who turned us against each other. To win custody of Zack, I need Angel to testify for me. This is the first step.‘
Seeing Sylvia agree, Angel felt a surprising rush of excitement.
That evening, Angel grabbed a few boxes of high–end cosmetics from her room to give to Sylvia as a gift and hurried downstairs.
“Where are you going?” Byron had just walked in with Zack, who was back from school.
“I’m meeting Sylvia for dinner,” Angel blurted out, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. ‘Oh, crap. My brother is going to be furious.‘
As expected, Byron’s expression shifted. He told Zack to go upstairs and do his homework, then sank casually onto the sofa.
“Byron, you might not know this, but if it weren’t for Sylvia, Julian Wouldn’t have been caught so fast. I wanted to thank her,” Angel explained hesitantly when Byron didn’t dismiss her.
“And she’s the only one you have to thank?” Byron crossed his long legs, his gaze cool and direct.
Angel stared at him, then it dawned on her. “Byron, I know I owe you, too, but I already invited Sylvia. You can’t come…”
“And why can’t I?” Byron’s voice was sharp with annoyance. He’d made it so obvious. Was she really that dense?
Angel gasped in surprise, “What? Byron, you and Sylvia are divorced! Why would you have dinner with her?”
Before Angel could finish, Byron’s eyes narrowed, and a wave of intimidating pressure washed over her.
Angel snapped her mouth shut. A strange thought popped into her head. ‘Could it be… he’s not over Sylvia?‘
“Byron, if you want to go, I can call her and ask,” she offered cautiously.
Byron nodded, affecting a casual air as he loosened his cuffs. “I’m just going upstairs for a minute.”
Upstairs, he leaned against his bedroom door, his heart hammering in his chest. He threw open his closet, frantically looking through his suits.
They hadn’t had a proper meal together since she’d returned.
10:37 Sat, 21 Jun GO
Chapter 86
Tonight would be their first. A new beginning.
Just as he was deciding between two designer suits, Angel’s voice drifted up from the hallway.
“Byron! I just called Sylvia. She said no. She doesn’t want you to come. She said I could bring Zack, though.”
The frantic energy in Byron’s chest turned to ice. His handsome face clouded over, becoming as dark and turbulent as a stormy sea.
