Chapter 280
[ 476 words ]
Chapter 280:
Caroline started to protest. “I handled Cornelia perfectly well today. I don’t need a babysitter.”
Jarrod cut her off, his tone brokering no argument.
“Cornelia is a cornered snake,” Jarrod explained. “Today she used money. Tomorrow she will use bullets.”
He reminded her of the veiled threat against her father. “My intelligence team is already increasing the security detail around your mother’s house in Alexandria.”
Caroline shuddered at the reminder. The reality of the danger crashed back down on her. She nodded, accepting the tactical necessity of his command.
R𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝗵е 𝗹а𝘵еs𝘵 𝗍r𝗲𝗻𝖽𝘴 o𝗻 𝗀al𝗇𝘰𝘃𝘦𝘭ѕ.𝗰𝘰𝗆
Jarrod’s gaze then fell on the fifty-thousand-dollar cashier’s check still resting on his thigh. A dark, wicked smirk played on his lips.
He picked it up with his left hand and tucked it back into the pocket of her denim jacket, patting it firmly.
“Keep it,” Jarrod ordered. “Frame it, burn it, or use it to buy out the entire shoe department at Neiman Marcus as a trophy of your victory.”
Caroline laughed. The sound was bright and clear in the enclosed cabin. “I might just use it to buy an absurd amount of dog food for the local shelter.”
Jarrod chuckled, the sound rich and warm. He pulled her closer, resting his chin on top of her head as the SUV navigated the D.C. traffic.
He then shifted the conversation to a more immediate tactical problem.
“Dr. Orson Finchley needs to be taught a lesson about who he works for,” Jarrod’s voice turned icy.
Caroline quickly placed a hand on his chest, stopping him. “Firing Finchley now would draw too much attention to me at the hospital.”
She proposed a different strategy. “Keep Finchley in power, but let him know that I am aware of his betrayal. Turn him into a terrified, compliant asset.”
Jarrod looked at her, genuinely impressed by her Machiavellian logic. He agreed to hold off on destroying Finchley, but insisted on sending a subtle message.
He pulled out his encrypted phone with his left hand. He sent a quick text to his financial team, instructing them to freeze the Romero Foundation’s grant to the ER pending a “board review.”
He showed Caroline the screen, smirking. Tomorrow, Finchley would be sweating bullets, realizing he had backed the wrong horse.
Caroline shook her head at his ruthless efficiency, but she couldn’t deny the deep satisfaction of knowing her enemies were being neutralized.
The SUV began to slow down as it approached the secure perimeter of Jarrod’s penthouse building.
Jarrod looked at the time on his tactical watch. “We have exactly two hours to rest and change clothes.”
Caroline looked up, confused. “Change for what? I thought the war for the day was over.”
Jarrod’s eyes darkened with anticipation.
“General Augustus has summoned us for a formal family dinner at the estate tonight,” Jarrod informed her. “Wear the midnight-blue velvet gown. Tonight, we are going to walk into the lion’s den and show the Romero family exactly who is in charge.”
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