Chapter 64
Nora's POV
The hotel room felt too small. I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep was impossible. I started analyzing the job Julian had offered.
Federal Inspector General's Office. High salary. Benefits. Career advancement.
I mentally listed the advantages.
But the prerequisite was being able to coexist peacefully with Julian.
I rolled onto my side. Aunt Marianne would be thrilled if she knew about the job offer. She'd probably start planning celebratory dinners. They'd all see it as validation.
Except they wouldn't know about the complication.
I sat up abruptly. This was ridiculous. Every time I tried to focus on the practical aspects, my brain veered into dangerous territory. What would it be like seeing him every day? Would he look at me the way he had in that elevator?
The problem was I'd been through this before. Not exactly this, because Kyle had never been anything like Julian. But I'd trusted someone before. I'd believed in something that seemed too good to be true. And I'd learned painfully that sometimes things really were too good to be true.
I shook my head hard. No. I couldn't let myself go down the same path.
My mind kept pushing forward anyway, running scenarios like some kind of disaster preparedness drill. What would happen when the novelty wore off? How long before he realized I didn't fit into his world? When that happened, when he inevitably moved on, I'd be stuck working for him. Becoming the person everyone whispered about.
"If he gets tired of me..." I whispered to the empty room. The words felt like broken glass. "I'll become 'that woman who slept with the Federal Inspector.' Everyone will say I only got the job because of my body. My reputation will be destroyed. No one will believe I earned anything through my own ability."
Then I thought about Kyle. He'd promised forever too, knelt down and sworn he'd give up everything for me. And the moment his mother threatened his inheritance, those promises evaporated like morning fog. Julian was infinitely more powerful than the Vaughn family. If he wanted to destroy me, I wouldn't even be able to fight back.
The fear was suffocating. I'd worked so hard to build something on my own, to prove I could make a difference without depending on anyone's favor. Taking this job, starting something with Julian—it would all be conditional on his continued interest in me. What would happen when that interest faded?
I lay back down, pulling the blanket over my head as if that could somehow block out the thoughts. It didn't work.
I thought about why I'd become a caseworker in the first place. Not for stability. Not to please anyone. Because I believed every forgotten person deserved to be seen. Every case that fell through the cracks mattered.
"I don't want a position handed to me," I said quietly into the darkness. "I want something I earned myself. Even if it takes longer. Even if it's harder."
My mind drifted to Dad. He'd chosen to stand up to those corporations even knowing it might cost him everything. He'd rather die than bow to power. He hadn't taught me how to attach myself to the powerful and hope for the best. He'd taught me how to stand straight, how to maintain dignity when the world tried to break you.
I closed my eyes, but sleep still wouldn't come. My thoughts drifted to the work itself, to what I truly wanted. The Federal Inspector General's Office meant policy-making at the top. But was that really where I belonged?
When I thought about work that truly mattered to me, it wasn't meetings or policy discussions. It was the places that wouldn't get attention.
What I truly wanted was to stand where light was needed most. Where people were forgotten. Where someone needed to shine light on what was being hidden.
Then I thought about Jacey's offer. Media work. I had minored in communications in college, but could I actually handle that kind of work? Bridge the gap between the forgotten and the public?
Uncertainty churned in my stomach. I didn't know if I could handle it, but I could try.
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Julian's POV
I watched the hospital entrance disappear in the rearview mirror as Ethan drove us back to the office. All the warmth I'd shown Nora, all the vulnerability I'd let her see—I locked it all away behind the mask I wore for everyone else. My face settled back into the cold, impassive expression people expected from the Federal Inspector General.
Ethan glanced at me from the driver's seat but said nothing. When I looked like this, he knew better than to speak. The silence in the car was absolute except for the low hum of the engine.
We pulled into the underground garage. I got out and strode toward the private elevator, Ethan falling into step behind me. The elevator rose smoothly to the top floor. When the doors opened, I could hear low voices coming from the conference room.
"Mr. Sterling," Ethan said quietly as we walked down the hallway. "The legal director, audit team leader, and local affairs coordinator are all present."
I nodded and pushed open the conference room door.
Seven people sat around the long table, thick file folders spread before each of them. They all stood as I entered. I gestured for them to sit and took my seat at the head of the table. Ethan moved beside me and activated the projector.
The screen lit up with a title slide: Vaughn Group Compliance Investigation Report.
Ethan began his briefing. His voice was steady and professional, but the content made my jaw tighten. "Based on one week of covert investigation, Vaughn Mining Group has engaged in the following violations."
The slide changed. I read each point, growing more disgusted.
"One: After closing the Cold Creek mining operation, the company failed to conduct pollution remediation as required by federal environmental law. Groundwater arsenic levels exceed safe limits by a factor of ten."
"Two: Between 2018 and 2023, at least twelve workplace injury incidents were settled privately for a combined total of $2.3 million. None were reported to the Department of Labor as legally required."
My fingers drummed once against the table. Twelve injured workers, probably laborers with no recourse, paid off to keep silent.
"Three: Systematic fraud in the building materials supply chain. Substandard steel was used on-site while compliant samples were submitted for inspection."
"Four: Illegal political contributions through shell companies to state legislative campaigns."
Ethan looked up from his tablet. "This pattern is common among companies in the Rust Belt region. Most companies have similar issues."
The legal director cleared his throat. "Mr. Sterling, the Vaughn family has considerable influence in this state. If we move against them now, there could be significant political backlash."
I let my gaze sweep across everyone at the table. When I spoke, my voice was calm but left no room for argument. "Precisely because they have influence, we must act. The power brokers in the Rust Belt need to understand that federal law is non-negotiable."
I paused, making sure they all understood. "Vaughn Group will be the first example we make in this region."
No one dared to argue.