Chapter 231

Chapter 231
Queenie’s POV
I woke and stretched without getting up. I grunted with satisfaction as I felt my bones crack. The sunlight filtered through the curtains. I rolled over to and pressed my cheek to Anton’s chest. He immediately draped his arm over my waist. I could feel his breathing. It was deep and steady. 
For the first time in what felt like years, I didn’t wake up with a start.
There was no courtroom drama, no license board shenanigans. No CPS threats. It was just pure bliss.
I gave him a kiss on his lips and I felt him respond to the kiss. Without opening his eyes, he murmured “ I could definitely get used to this.”
I chuckled. “ it’s only expected you will say that.” 
I slid out of bed and made my way to the toilet. 
I came out moments later and the bed was empty.
That was quick. Where did he disappear to? I made my way to the kitchen. He was m already there, shirt sleeves rolled up, pouring a cup of coffee for himself.
He looked up and smiled. “Morning, fiancée.”
I blinked at the word. This is going to definitely take some getting used to.
I laughed as my cheeks flushed. “You’re really going with that, huh?”
Anton shrugged, smug. “Seeing as it’s official now, I get to say it as often as I want.”
I crossed to him and held his waist with my arms. “ I want to say  I’m very grateful for everything you did yesterday. You didn’t have to say all those things in court. But you did.”
He kissed my forehead. I leaned into his kiss and felt my knees go a little weak.
“You were incredible, Queenie. The way you held it together... I never felt more proud of you.”
I put my weight on his body. Right now, inside our own bubble, everything felt right, peaceful and heavenly unlike the outside world.
He pulled out a coffee cup, poured into it and handed it over. 
This was becoming a routine. I can get with the program. No need to tell me twice!
“So. About that wedding planning dream venue?” He casually asked in between sips of his coffee.
I nearly choked on my first sip. “Wow. That escalated fast.”
Anton grinned. “Come on. What are we looking at? A Mansion? Garden? Rooftop in Santorini? Nothing is off the table.”
“Let’s get through Michael first,” I said. The idea of planning a joyful event was a welcome change and I smiled at the thought.
Anton raised his hands in surrender. “Fair.”
Still, he didn’t stop there. Over breakfast, he slid a list of few names across the table. He said they were the names of world class architects and firms that had designed some of his office buildings. 
“For the clinic,” he said with a casual shrug of his shoulders . “They’re solid. They will come up with the best practical and aesthetically pleasing designs.”
I stared at the names. My mouth open in surprise. “You did this for me?”
He gently pushed my chin up to close my mouth. “I told you I wanted to help. Consider this phase one.” I could see the sincerity in his eyes.
This whole situation is becoming one big irony.  The more Irefused to call it a partnership, the more it started to look like one. He wasn’t just a protector anymore. He had become completely invested. In me. In Junie. In this life.
The next few weeks came and went without any difference to me .They were blurred into blueprints, meetings, and chasing permit applications. I was fired up.
I stayed up late reading zoning codes and studying early-stage design specs. I also stalked the medical equipment online. My  calendar was filled with back-to-back consultations.  
It's being a long time coming but for the first time in weeks , my name wasn’t being dragged through the mud or it wasn’t in the news for the wrong reasons.
Anton moved quietly in the background.  He never overstepped. He allowed me to run and execute my plans. When he wired funds for the initial deposit for the clinic, he called it “early investment.” There wasn’t any argument from me. 
I was even thankful. It meant I could use the money to get expedite the whole process.
It meant I could hire a team sooner, secure equipment faster, and get the building permits expedited. I accepted his help because he gave it with open hands. It came with no strings attached.
“You’re dangerous when you’re confident,” Anton said to me one night. 
I stopped what I was doing and face him. “ You are a badass.”
He had been watching me  pace in the living room with blueprints under one arm and Junie’s stuffed giraffe in the other.
“Being a badass is what it’ll take,” I said with a smile as I went closer to meet him. 
But the higher I climbed, the more I felt the inevitable pull of gravity.
Anton’s legal team had been working around the clock. They made sure no stone was left unturned as in their effort to build an airtight case against Michael.
They flew out to Ghana twice to track down witnesses who had seen the original video before it was doctored. They were able to get sworn affidavits and statements that corroborated myaccount of events. They were able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the footage Michael circulated was not only  doctored but manufactured with the intent to ruin her. 
Despite all these progress , I should have relaxed and worry less but I didn’t . Rather it was the other way round. 
Because Michael hadn’t made his last move. I held my breathe. I wasn’t going to breathe well till it came.
It came on a Tuesday.
I was at the clinic site deliberating with the construction manager over the various solutions to the problem, that a wall that needed to be knocked down was causing when her phone rang. It was Amelia.
I became apprehensive immediately I saw the caller ID.
“Queenie,” her voice cracked, “check the news. It’s Michael. He made the headlines again. He’s everywhere.” She managed to croak.
The blood drained from my face.
I sprinted to my car, yanked open the door, and jabbed at the dashboard screen. The evening news anchor’s voice was already mid-sentence.
“Michael Fisher, former fiancé of Dr. Queenie Andrews, has recently brought to light some explosive claims. These claims alleges a pattern of manipulative behavior and financial exploitation...”
The screen cut to Michael, sitting ith a smug look in a studio. He wore a sympathetic expression like it was tailored. “She lied to everyone,” he was saying. “she used my daughter for sympathyand goodwill.. She attached herself to Anton Blackwood for power and protection. I have no choice but to speak out for the sake of my child.”
My stomach twisted violently. His words were smooth.
God! He was a natural. Every inch of his performance was designed to hurt me. Someone get this man an Oscar. 
Anton came rushing through the clinic doors minutes later. Ididn’t even know who had called him. 
If I had to guess ,it was probably Amelia again. He didn’t say a word. He just pulled me into his arms and held me tightly and planted kisses on the top of my head.
“He’s poisoning the air,” I said hoarsely as I fought back the tears with considerable effort. “People are going to believe this.”
Anton’s jaw was like iron. “Let him talk. He is digging a deeper hole for himself. My lawyers are already drafting a suit for defamation,  and character assassination. Those are the ones that I can remember. Relax babe. He’s cooked.”
Just that? Nah. That doesn’t do it for me.
I stepped back. “That’s not enough.”
Anton blinked. “What?”
I was shaking. It wasn’t fear but fury. I was barely able to keep it under control. “He gets on TV whenever it suits him, ruins my name anytime he feels like it, calls me a manipulative gold-digger to push his agenda, and we’re supposed to just... sue him? Wait six months for a court date? That’s not enough for me. It’s time he gets a dose of his own medicine.”
Anton stepped closer. “I said he wouldn’t win because I’ll bury him. I meant it. Not just with lawyers. With truth and power. By the time I’m done, they will have to dig beneath a mountain of shame and bankruptcy to find Michael Fisher”
I swallowed hard. “so you are going exposing more of your own past?”
He didn’t hesitate. “If it protects you, I’ll dig up every secret of mine and throw them at his feet.”
That silenced me. I didn’t have to say anything else because I believed him.
I looked back at the screen. I could see Michael’s smug face and I felt the familiar weight settle back into my spine. 
It didn’t matter how many times I rose. He’d always be there, trying to drag me down. I’m getting damn tired of this playbook.
He wasn’t just coming for my career, he was coming for my existence this time.
I glanced toward the living room mantel. My gaze fell on Junie’s latest  photo which sat nestled between two candles. She had a quiet, bright smile. So unaware and oblivious to the chaos around her. 
“I have to stay strong,” I whispered to myself than to Anton. “For her. I can’t let him take anything else.”
“You won’t,” Anton said. “ You are not facing him alone. You have me with you now.”
He took my hand, and laced his fingers with mine.
“It’s both of us.”