Chapter 20: Lunch With My Brother

Jaxon’s POV:

After two hours, the business meeting finally came to an end. I watched as the business partners filed out of the hall, Caleb accompanying them. Reaching for a bottle of water, I took a sip and massaged my temples.

Exhaustion weighed on me, and all I wanted was to return home. I wondered if Elizabeth was still here.

“Sir,” Caleb called from the doorway, interrupting my thoughts. “The therapist is here.”

An older man in his sixties walked in, dressed in a sharp blue suit. His face lit up with a wide smile when he saw me.

“Jaxon, long time no see,” he said with amusement.

I stood up and extended a hand. “Hmm. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course. It’s a miracle that you requested my services. The last I remember, you walked out of our session and never came back,” he said, his tone teasing.

I didn’t find it funny. “You’re not here for me,” I reminded him curtly.

I’d made that clear when I called him, but it seemed no one could resist trying to 'fix' me. I stepped out of the conference room with him as we headed to my office.

“So, do you think you can help her?” I asked, cutting straight to the point.

He chuckled. “Well, what she’s been through must have left some trauma. But as long as the predator didn’t take advantage of her, she’s stable.”

I snorted. Stable? Elizabeth woke up with nightmares every night. It annoyed me to no end, but somehow that was considered stability?

We reached my office door, and I pushed it open. Elizabeth was curled up on the couch with a cushion covering her face.

“Is that her?” Dr. Jesse asked, gesturing to the small figure on the couch. I nodded.

“Then let’s not wake her. It’s bad luck to disturb such peaceful sleep,” he joked, but I didn’t laugh.

I stepped back out of the office, closing the door behind me.

Dr. Jesse leaned casually against the balcony railing, his eyes studying me. I hated when he looked at me like that, as if he could see through every wall I’d spent years building.

“So, she’s your wife?” he asked, though I was sure he already knew. My parents had likely kept him updated on every detail of my life. Not that I cared, but I wished they’d stop interfering.

“Tell me, Jaxon. How did you feel when your fiancée didn’t show up?”

“I’m not interested in a therapy session,” I said with a snort.

“It’s not therapy. Can’t you at least have a normal conversation with an old acquaintance?”

I glanced at my watch. It was almost noon. I’d finished all my meetings for the day and would much rather return home, handle business in my study, or spend time in the basement.

“Thanks for coming, Dr. Jesse. Let’s fix a different date,” I said dismissively.

He studied me for a moment before smacking his lips in frustration. “Come talk to me when you’re ready, Jaxon.”

“I don’t need therapy.”

“Really? Then why don’t you share a good relationship with your parents? Why do you ignore your brother?” he asked, firing questions that made my jaw clench.

He was getting on my nerves, and I instantly regretted asking him to come and give Elizabeth sessions.

“Caleb,” I called out, waving at my assistant, who was standing idly at the far end of the hall. He hurried over, and I gestured toward Dr. Jesse.

“Please accompany the doctor,” I instructed, not sparing the therapist another glance.

I returned to the office, shutting the door behind me. Elizabeth was still fast asleep on the couch, the cushion slightly askew on her face.

I walked over and lifted the cushion, revealing her peaceful expression. She was deeply asleep.

For the first time, I noticed her long eyelashes and pointed nose. She had a face that could fool anyone—soft, delicate, and innocent. Elizabeth Mitchell was the kind of girl every man would instinctively want to protect.

I didn’t know how I’d come to this description of her, but that’s exactly what I felt. An urge to protect her from others.

And, ironically, I wished there was someone to protect her from me. To shield her from the darkness she’d unknowingly stepped into by being with me.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she yawned, stretching her arms before fully waking.

Her gaze met mine, and she jumped, her face paling as though she’d just seen a ghost. “Jaxon,” she muttered, scanning the room, probably trying to remember where she was.

I walked up the stairs to my desk, grabbed my car keys, and headed for the door. “Come along,” I said without looking back.

I didn’t need to turn around to know she was following me.

We stepped into the elevator together, and she made sure to stand as far from me as possible. My gaze dropped to her knees—they were scraped.

How had she gotten injured?

The elevator dinged, and we stepped into the company’s exclusive restaurant, reserved only for upper management. Elizabeth frowned as she glanced around.

“I thought we were going home,” she mumbled, mostly to herself.

We reached one of the tables, and a waitress approached us.

“Good day, Mr. Sinclair. Would you like a glass of water while looking over the menu?” she asked politely.

I barely noticed her. My gaze was fixed on Elizabeth.

“Order,” I instructed, my voice firm.

Elizabeth looked up at me, then at the waitress, her confusion evident. “Me?” she asked, pointing at herself like she couldn’t believe it.

I frowned, and she quickly cleared her throat, taking the menu tablet from the waitress.

“Uhm… I’m not really hungry. Do you want me to order for you?” she asked, her wide, innocent eyes meeting mine.

I leaned forward, pulled the tablet from her hands, and added our order to the list. Handing the tablet back to the waitress, I said, “Bring me a first aid kit as well.”

The waitress nodded and walked away.

“A first aid kit?” Elizabeth tilted her head, her curiosity piqued.

I smacked my lips but didn’t answer. Did she even realize she was injured? Or was she so numb to physical pain yet so quick to cry over trivial things?

She sat there rubbing her palms, her gaze shifting to the large clock on the wall. I noticed her eyes lingering on the time, clearly distracted.

“Do you need to be somewhere?” I asked, amusement lacing my tone.

Still absentminded, she nodded. “Having lunch with Talon and…”

Her hands flew to her mouth as if she’d just revealed a secret.

My fists clenched. She said she wasn’t hungry, but apparently, she was saving her appetite for lunch—with my brother.