Chapter 71: Toy in a Woman's Grip
Jason’s POV
I watched Nora storm down the hallway like a category five hurricane, her face flushed with anger. Damn, those two were something else. Every time they crossed paths, it was like watching a powder keg with a lit fuse.
Well, that answers that question.
I sighed, rolling my shoulders before pushing open the door to Alexander's office. The man himself stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to me, silhouette sharp against the city skyline. But what caught my eye immediately was the white bandage wrapped around his right hand.
"Holy shit, Alex," I blurted. "What happened to your hand?"
He turned slowly, his expression unreadable. "My wife happened."
I blinked, trying to process this. "Nora did that? What, she finally snapped and went full Lorena Bobbitt on you?"
Alexander's lips twitched—the closest thing to a smile I'd get today. "Not quite that dramatic. Though she did nearly kill me with a knife."
I dropped into one of the leather chairs across from his desk, genuinely stunned. "You're kidding. I mean, I know you two fight like cats and dogs, but... Jesus. How bad is it?"
He flexed his bandaged hand slightly. "The doctor says I won't be permanently disabled, but I'll likely never lift anything heavy with this hand again. And there will be a noticeable scar."
Alexander moved to his desk, sitting down with deliberate grace that couldn't quite mask his discomfort. "But this wound was... worth it."
"Worth it?" I echoed incredulously. "How the hell is nearly losing your hand 'worth it'?"
A satisfied expression crossed his face. "Because it proved something to me. When I was bleeding out, I saw it in her eyes—she didn't want me to die."
I stared at him, shaking my head slowly. "You know, I've seen rational men turn into complete idiots over women before, but you're taking it to a whole new level."
"Perhaps," he conceded. "But that's not why I called you here."
His tone shifted, the temperature in the room seeming to drop several degrees. "Why did you arrange for my wife to meet with Liam?"
Ah, shit. I kept my expression neutral. "He requested a meeting with the lead researcher on the Velora project. That's Nora."
Alexander's jaw tightened. "She put sleeping pills in my tea yesterday morning. Strong ones. So she could slip away to meet him."
Well, that explained a lot. I'd been wondering how Nora managed to show up at the office without her ever-present shadow. "Look, Alex, she came to discuss the partnership deal. It was purely professional."
"Was it?" His eyes narrowed. "Tell me exactly what happened during that meeting."
I shifted uncomfortably. "They discussed the terms. I was present for most of it."
"Most?" He caught the qualifier immediately.
"I stepped out for about five minutes," I admitted. "But—"
"You left my wife alone with Liam." His voice was deadly quiet.
"For five minutes, man! What do you think could happen in five minutes in a conference room at Claflin Enterprises?"
Alexander didn't answer, but his expression spoke volumes.
"I've noticed it too," I said more carefully. "Traynor's... special interest in Nora. But I can't figure out what his angle is. The partnership makes sense on paper, but he's been pushing for personal meetings with her specifically."
"Next time Traynor comes calling," Alexander said coldly, "I'll handle him personally."
I nodded, relieved to move past my apparent transgression. "You should get that hand looked at properly, by the way. The medical center is—"
"No." He cut me off. "Nora will change the bandages daily. I want her to see this wound, fresh and bleeding, every single day."
Jesus Christ. "You're using your injury to guilt-trip your wife?"
"I prefer to think of it as a reminder." His eyes gleamed with something almost predatory. "And I don't want news of this reaching the rest of the Claflin family."
I raised an eyebrow. "Your family would have a fit if he knew Nora took a knife to you."
"Precisely. This stays between us."
I leaned forward, feeling like I needed to say something. Alexander had always been intense, calculating, even cold when necessary—but this obsession with Nora was reaching concerning levels.
"Alex," I began carefully. "You need to hear this as your friend, not your VP. Your... tolerance for Nora's behavior has gone way beyond normal."
He looked at me impassively.
"She drugged you. She stabbed you. She publicly disrespects you. And you're not only letting it slide, you're practically encouraging it." I paused, choosing my next words carefully. "What if she's playing you? What if her endgame is control of Claflin Enterprises?"
For a moment, I thought I'd gone too far. Alexander's eyes flashed dangerously, and I remembered why competitors and enemies feared him. Then, surprisingly, his expression softened.
"She can't take what isn't given, Jason. She can't steal it, she can't force it from my hands. The only way Nora could ever control Claflin Enterprises is if I willingly handed it to her." His gaze was steady, resolute. "And I have always been willing."
I sat back, stunned by the admission. Holy shit. Alexander Claflin—the man who'd fought tooth and nail for control of his family's empire, who'd outmaneuvered his uncle and aunts, who'd crushed competitors without mercy—was willing to give it all to a woman who seemed to barely tolerate him.
He's completely lost it.
As I left his office a few minutes later, I couldn't help but think that Alexander Claflin, for all his business genius and strategic brilliance, had become the one thing I never thought possible: a man thoroughly and hopelessly in the palm of his wife's hand.