Chapter 172
Emily's POV
Edward left without another word, and the door swung shut behind him with a soft click—but not before I heard him stop in the hallway, a sharp, disgusted sound escaping him. A huff of air that sounded like anger and frustration rolled into one, as if he'd seen something that offended him even more than I had.
I didn't care. I didn't have the energy to care what else had set him off or who he'd run into on his way out. I just stood there in the empty conference room, my hands still clenched into fists at my sides, and let myself feel the full weight of what had just happened.
He'd tried to break me. He'd tried to make me feel small and worthless and ashamed of the life I'd built. And I'd looked him in the eye and refused to give him that power.
I took a slow, shaky breath, forcing my fingers to uncurl and my shoulders to drop from where they'd been hunched up near my ears. My heart was still racing, adrenaline thrumming through my veins in a way that made my hands tremble slightly when I pressed them flat against the table to steady myself. I needed a minute. Just one minute to pull myself back together before I walked out of here and had to face whatever came next.
I counted to ten, then twenty, focusing on the rhythm of my breathing until it evened out and the shaking in my hands subsided. When I finally felt steady enough to move, I straightened my blouse, smoothed down my hair, and headed for the door.
I turned toward my office and saw him.
Alex was leaning against the wall about ten feet away, his arms crossed over his chest and his posture deceptively casual in a way that didn't match the intensity of his gaze. He was looking at me like I was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen, his expression somewhere between admiration and something darker, something that made my pulse kick up again for an entirely different reason.
"How long have you been standing there?" I asked, my voice coming out steadier than I'd expected.
"Long enough." He pushed off the wall and closed the distance between us in a few long strides, his eyes never leaving my face. "I heard my father was here, so I came to see if I needed to step in."
"They got ugly," I said, and felt a slightly hysterical laugh bubble up in my throat. I swallowed it down, pressing a hand to my forehead. "Your father thinks I'm a whore and a gold-digger, and he wants me to disappear from your life. Just so you know."
"Yeah, I got that impression when I saw him storm out of here looking like he wanted to put his fist through a wall." Alex's voice was dry, but there was an edge to it that suggested he wasn't nearly as calm as he looked. "And you told him to fuck off."
"More or less." I dropped my hand, meeting his gaze. "I told him I earned my place here. That I'm not going anywhere. That I'm not ashamed of who I am or who I'm with."
Something shifted in Alex's expression, the admiration giving way to something fiercer and more possessive. He reached out and caught my wrist, his thumb brushing over the inside of my wrist where my pulse was still hammering too fast.
"Good," he said, his voice low and rough in a way that sent heat flooding through my chest. "Because you're right. You did earn your place here. And anyone who can't see that can go to hell—including my father."
I stared at him, something warm and bright unfurling in my chest to chase away the last lingering chill from Edward's words. "You're not worried about what this is going to do to your relationship with him?"
"No." The word was flat and absolute, leaving no room for doubt. "I stopped caring what my father thought about my personal life the day I realized he was more interested in controlling me than understanding me. If he can't accept you, that's his problem. Not ours."
"He's going to make things difficult," I said, because I needed him to understand what he was choosing. "He made that very clear."
"Let him try." Alex's grip on my wrist tightened slightly, not enough to hurt but enough to ground me, to remind me that I wasn't alone in this. "I've been dealing with his bullshit my entire life. I know how he operates. And I'm not letting him run you off just because he doesn't approve."
I felt something in my chest loosen, some knot of tension I hadn't even realized I was still carrying. "You heard what I said to him?"
"Most of it." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, slow and approving. "The walls in this building are thinner than they should be. I heard you tell him you'd be fine without this job. Heard you tell him you're not ashamed of us. Heard you shut down every single argument he tried to use to make you feel small."
"I meant it," I said, my voice quiet but steady. "All of it."
"I know you did." He released my wrist, but only so he could slide his hand up to cup the side of my face, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone in a gesture that was gentle and grounding at the same time. "That's why I'm standing here looking at you like I want to drag you into the nearest empty room and make you forget my father exists." He leaned in closer, his breath warm against my ear as he added in a low murmur that sent shivers down my spine, "My queen."
Heat flared low in my stomach, sharp and immediate, but I forced myself to shake my head. "I have a meeting at ten."
"I know. That's why I said I want to, not that I'm going to." His smile widened slightly, turning wicked. "But tonight, when we get home, I'm going to remind you exactly how much you're worth. And Ethan and Mason are going to help."
"Is that a threat or a promise?"
"Both." He leaned in, pressing a kiss to my forehead that was surprisingly tender given the heat in his eyes. "Now go do your job. Show everyone here why my father is an idiot for underestimating you."
I nodded, feeling steadier now than I had since the moment my assistant had told me Edward was waiting for me. Alex stepped back, giving me space, but his gaze followed me as I turned and headed for my office.
I could still feel the warmth of his hand on my face, the weight of his words settling into my chest like armor. Edward Monroe could think whatever he wanted about me. He could call me names, threaten me, try to make me feel like I didn't belong.
But I did belong. Here, in this job I'd worked my ass off to excel at. With Alex and Ethan and Mason, who saw me for who I really was and loved me anyway.
And no one—not Edward, not anyone—was going to take that away from me.