Chapter 46 The Getaway Strategy
Elena’s POV
By the next morning, I was half-draped over Jack’s chest, my body molded to his warmth like the world outside didn’t exist. His skin was solid beneath my cheek, his breathing slow and even, the steady rise and fall of his chest grounded me in a way I hadn’t realized I desperately needed.
My fingers traced idle patterns across him—lazy lines over muscle and bone, familiar now in a way that felt both comforting and terrifying.
Terrifying because comfort was dangerous but it could make you forget to look over your shoulder.
But heaven knows that… I wanted it anyway.
Jack’s arm slung loosely around my back, his hand resting at my waist, thumb moving absentmindedly as if even in sleep he needed to remind himself that I was real.
For one freaking moment, the hum of threats was muted.
Damien wasn’t in the room, my father’s voice wasn’t echoing in my head, and the board wasn’t hovering like vultures.
I tilted my head slightly, looking up at him.
His eyes were open, watching me. That always did something to my chest—that feeling that I was being seen without having to perform.
I smiled before I could stop myself. “Now,” I murmured, my voice was rough with sleep and something softer, “I’m even more excited about going on that trip with you.”
Jack’s mouth curved immediately, a quiet laugh escaping him. Then his hand slid down my back, slow, yet affectionate, like he was memorizing me.
“I’ll start getting things ready,” he said, his voice husky, still thick with the remnants of sleep.
I hummed, letting my cheek fall back against him. My smile stayed. So I let myself pretend this was normal like we were just a couple planning a getaway, like my life wasn’t a battlefield dressed up in designer suits and corporate meetings.
But reality always found a way back in even in bed and in warmth.
“We’ll have to go to the office later,” I said quietly, almost reluctantly, “and catch up on what we’ve missed.”
Jack exhaled through his nose. “Yeah,” he agreed.
But then I felt a subtle shift tightening in his body. The way the warmth in his gaze sharpened into something that looked like calculation.
Jack Roman was the kind of man who didn’t stop thinking, even when he was holding me, trying to give me peace. His mind was always moving.
And I lifted my head again, my brows narrowing slightly.
He stared at the ceiling for a moment, like he was watching invisible pieces move across a chessboard.
Then he spoke. “But don’t you think…” He trailed off, his voice was quiet and careful. “If we go on that trip…”
I waited for him to finish.
He turned his head slightly as his eyes settled on me. “…we might actually stall whatever it is that Mark, your father, and anyone else is planning?”
The air changed instantly. My fingers paused mid-stroke against his chest.
I stared at him, but the softness in me didn’t disappear, it just curled inward. “That’s what you’re thinking about right now?” I asked softly.
He didn’t flinch. “I’m always thinking about it,” he admitted.
I sat up a little, the sheet sliding down my shoulder, cool air kissing my skin. My brows knit together as the weight of his words settled.
“Wouldn’t that be considered running away?” I said slowly. “Leaving in the middle of chaos?”
Jack’s eyes stayed steady. “That depends.”
“It could give the board a reason,” I continued, my voice sharpening with logic and instinct, “to vote me out of Vale Corp altogether.”
The thought made my stomach twist by just imagining it—my father’s satisfaction, Mark’s smug little silence, and Damien’s victory.
Damien—he has been silent for a while. I thought before Jack's voice pulled me out of my head.
Jack’s hand lifted, brushing lightly along my arm. “Possibly,” he admitted without hesitation.
I blinked.
“But not,” he added, “if we give them a good reason for taking the trip.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
“And what would that be?”
Jack’s lips curled with a glint of strategy.
The kind of expression that reminded me he wasn’t just a man in my bed. He was a man who survived by staying ahead.
“Playing savior,” he said smoothly, “in one of Vale Corp’s subsidiaries in Portugal.”
I blinked. “What?”
He nodded in affirmation like it was obvious.
“Not like we’re making it up,” he continued. “They actually do need saving. Their Q3 reports are a disaster.”
A laugh burst out of me before I could stop it and a short, incredulous snort.
“Oh my God.”
Jack’s eyes flickered with satisfaction.
“What?”
“You’re insane,” I said, shaking my head.
“I’m just practical.” He shrugged.
“You’re manipulative.”
“I’m only being resourceful.”
I stared at him for a long moment, then leaned forward slightly, resting my palm against his chest again.
“And you’ve already thought this through.”
He didn’t deny it, he just stayed calm. “I don’t like leaving things to chance.”
I exhaled slowly, then felt amusement spark inside of me, it was reluctant but real.
“We’ll make it go public,” I said, voice lighter now as the idea formed fully. “That way, the board won’t need to do anything until we get back.”
Jack’s brows lifted.
I continued, more animated now. “I believe It’ll buy us time. If it looks like I’m handling an overseas crisis personally, they can’t accuse me of abandoning my responsibilities.”
His smile widened. “Exactly the point.”
I leaned into his side again, my cheek pressing against him. “God,” I murmured. “This is what our lives have become.”
Jack’s hand moved through my hair gently.
“You mean survival?”
“Strategy,” I corrected softly. “Even our peace has to be calculated.”
His silence was answer enough because it was true. Even here, tangled together, safe for a moment… The danger wasn’t gone.
It was just waiting.
Then I let my fingers curl lightly against his ribs. “Sounds fun though,” I murmured, but the words carried something heavier underneath.
It wasn't just fun, it was a pause and a lifeline. A chance to breathe before the next blow would come.
Jack shifted slightly, reaching for my hand.
His fingers entwined with mine, firm and steady.
“If we’re going to make it out of this intact,” he said quietly, “we’ll have to stay two steps ahead.”
I nodded slowly, staring at our joined hands.
The intimacy of it made my chest ache. The slight unmistakable trust I have in him and the risk of it altogether.
The fact that I genuinely wanted to believe him completely but couldn't.
My smile faded into something more serious.
“Then let’s start running,” I whispered.
Jack’s thumb brushed over my knuckles.
“We’re not running,” he corrected softly.
I looked up at him.
His eyes were dark, intent. “We’re just moving.”
I swallowed the lump at the back of my throat.
Something told me that Layla might find something that Jack was hiding but a part of me just wanted him to come out clean.
If otherwise, then I'll have no choice but to destroy him. That was what living in my world entails—ruin the enemy before they ruin you.
My eyes watered slightly as I intertwined my fingers with his.