AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, you read that right... I'm back!! I had been working on a new story for a while. If you haven't started it yet, it's called The Bachelor's. I will also be simultaneously finishing this revival and then starting the next!! XOXO ~ Christy
Things had gotten better with your marriage since the night you made the choice to recommit to it. You really did love that man more than you ever thought you'd love anyone again and you were excited about finally having something close to the future you'd imagined the day you married him.
You had taken his advice and brought Jaden into the family business even though everyone was completely against it. Your dad had been the most outspoken about it so you decided to pair Vinnie up with Jaden to make him happy. You did feel better knowing that someone you truly trusted was keeping an eye on him to make sure he wasn't able to betray you.
As far as Chase and Nessa were concerned, Bryce had 'taken care of the problem' and that problem had been Jaden. At first, they thought he had simply disappeared under mysterious circumstances but when no one went looking for him, you'd falsified photos to make it appear his body had been dumped in the lake outside of town. Neither of them so much as mourned him publicly and it had only pushed Jaden even more to help destroy his former family.
Chase and you hadn't communicated at all the last 2 months and you would never admit out loud that you felt anything beyond relief. You still thought of him and a few times you'd picked up the phone but slammed it back down before the first ring. You had made the decision to move on and the fact that he could carry on thinking his blood brother had been murdered and do nothing in retaliation just further cemented that you'd made the right choice in marrying Vinnie.
You were sitting at your father's desk, still trying to sort through the mess of papers he'd left behind. There wasn't room to set up an office of your own at your condo so you'd just been coming to the compound every day to get work done. You felt flush and dizzy and even though you didn't have any cold symptoms, it felt like the flu coming on. You weren't going to let being sick get in the way of getting business done. Your father would have never.
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Bryce knocked on the open door before walking in: "I have that intel you asked for on Nessa- Hey are you doing okay?"
You: "Yeah I just have felt sick all week with this flu. Or almost flu."
Bryce: "Is Vinnie sick too? He hasn't called me back all week."
You: "No but I do NOT have time to be sick so just add the folder to the pile and I'll get to it soon."
Blake popped his head in and added: "I got word that Chase will be having surgery next week for residual damage from the $h00ting all those years ago. It'd be the perfect chance to get to him. He would be totally vulnerable."
Bryce: "Yeah and guarded by a whole team of doctors on his payroll."
Vinne joined the group and leaned down to kiss you hello: "Well those doctors have a price... find it out. Hey sweetie, you left early this morning."
You: "No absolutely not."
Vinnie tilted his head in confusion: "You didn't leave early?"
You: "No, I don't want to end him. It would be too merciful. I want to pull everything out from under him so he has to live knowing he lost the life as he knew it."
Bryce kicked everyone out of the room and sat on the desk next to you: "Do you want to talk about this?"
Your tone came off as annoyed more than anything: "About what Bryce?"
You loved Bryce and didn't have the heart to yell at him. He might have started out as your bodyguard when you were a teenager and now found himself your right-hand man but truthfully he was the person you trusted most in this world. He was like the big brother you never had.
Bryce: "Okay, don't you think that plan is just a little similar to what his death did to you all those years ago?"
You pushed the papers out from in front of you in frustration and stood up. Before you could get a response out you fell to the floor, unconscious.
Bryce yelled out: "Blake! Vinnie! Someone call the doctor!!!"
