<b>Chapter </b>60
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“What’s going on?” Emery asked her new assistant and bodyguard, Lota.
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She had justnded and was scheduled to board another flight soon for a business meeting. Logan had been with her moments ago but stepped away to take a call. Needing a quick break, she headed to the lounge to freshen up while waiting for him. Thest person she expected to see was Samuel.
“I apologize,” Lota said, stepping slightly in front of Emery. Her eyes narrowed at the man in front of them. “I didn’t check ahead.”
Then she turned fully to Samuel, her stance firm. “You’re not allowed to approach.”
“What?” Samuel’s expression immediately turned ugly. Naturally, his first instinct was to push the woman away, but for some unknown reason, the woman stood unbudged, unbothered even if she was being pushed by an adult man twice her size. Again, Samuel tried to push her away, but still, she stood there like a damn wall. “You-”
“You may not approach,” Lota repeated, then she pressed two fingers against thems device in her ear. “Unit Two and Three, converge on the lounge. Secure the Madam.”
Within seconds, two tall men in dark coats entered through the side hallway. They moved without hesitation, cutting through the quiet chatter of the lounge like they belonged. They nked Emery without <i>a </i>word, forming a protective arc in front of her.
Emery blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected this.
“What are you doing?” she asked, turning to Lota.
“Protocol,” Lota said, not breaking focus. “Mr. Hayes authorized full protection detail while in transit.”
Emery frowned. Logan was still at the airport, barely a mile away. She knew he could be overbearing, but this? She hadn’t even noticed these men until now. How many did he assign around her?
Seeing this, Samuel stepped forward again. His eyes darted to the two neers, but he didn’t back down. “Emery. Tell them to stand down. I just want to talk. That’s all.”
The guards didn’t move, Lota raised her hand again and gave a signal.
“Madam is not avable for private interaction,” she said. “Escort begins now.”
One of the guards took a half step forward, blocking Samuel entirely. The other turned toward Emery. “This way, Madam. We have to move.”
Emery looked at Samuel, her expression unreadable.
“Emery, please,” he said, his voice low now. “I came all this way. I need to speak to you. Just for a moment.”
But Lota was already guiding Emery away from him, hand light on her elbow but firm in intention.
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“Contact Mr. Hayes,” Lota told one of the guards. “Tell him we are moving the Madam.”
Vanessa finally caught up, breath uneven, as she approached from the back of the lounge.
“Samuel!” she snapped. “What do you think you’re doing? You can’t just go after her like this.”
Samuel didn’t even look at her. His eyes were still on Emery as she was led toward the far exit.
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The guards didn’t slow down. One stayed behind to block off the entrance, forcing the growing cluster of onlookers to keep their distance.
Emery didn’t say anything until they were already past the private hall. She finally turned to Lota.
“You said protocol?”
“Yes, Madam,” Lota replied. “Mr. Hayes insisted. Until your next location is secured, no one unauthorized is allowed near you. Especially not people from your past.”
Emery nced behind them once, then looked forward again. Her pace didn’t slow. “Right. Past.”
Meanwhile, Samuel pushed forward, ignoring the sharp protest of the guards now standing directly in his path. He barely made it two steps before both men grabbed his arms and shoved him back. The force wasn’t brutal, but it was clear enough—he wasn’t getting through.
“Let go of me,” he snapped, struggling against their grip.
Behind him, Vanessa appeared, heels clicking hard against the marble. She raised her hand without thinking and swung it toward the nearest guard.
The man shifted sideways without effort. Her palm missed, and she stumbled, nearly falling forward. One of the receptionists gasped.
“You will regret this!” Vanessa shouted, straightening herself. “This is uwful restraint! I will call the police!”
The guards looked at each other, and then released Samuel.
He yanked his arms free and stepped forward, brushing past his mother without looking at her.
“Samuel!” Vanessa reached out, grabbing at his sleeve. “Stop it. Stop following that slut!”
He froze. His eyes turned slowly toward her. “What did you just say?”
“She humiliated us,” Vanessa said, her voice rising. “She’s a gold digger. A nobody. She left you and now she’s parading around with bodyguards like she’s some damn queen.”
Samuel’s fists clenched. “She’s carrying my child. Your grandchild. And you call her a slut?”
“You don’t know that for sure,” she hissed. “You think she’d keep it if it was yours? No. She took your money and disappeared. Don’t be a fool, Samuel.”
“I don’t need your approval,” he said. “Not this time.”
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Then he turned and ran.
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He cut down the hall, eyes scanning every face that passed. Just as he turned the corner past the terminal’s private gate, he saw her. Emery.
She had just stepped into a quieter corridor, nked by her bodyguards. But what made Samuel stop was the man she walked toward.
Tall. Sharp posture. Dark coat. Even from a distance, Samuel recognized him. It was that man… the one that Emery used to antagonize him, to make him jealous.
“Emery!” Samuel called out. This time, Emery turned and looked at him. “You can’t hide from me forever, Emery, not while you are carrying my child!”
Samuel’s breath caught the second heid eyes on her again. Emery stood a few steps away, speaking to one of the guards, her hand brushing the hem of her dress. Her hair shifted slightly as she turned, catching sight of him. And for a brief second, something shed in her expression.
He saw it.
A flicker. Just a moment. But it was enough.
Samuel took a step forward, and the corner of his mouth curled slightly. His mind moved quickly–too quickly for caution. She hadn’t told the man beside her. Whoever this Logan was.
She hadn’t told him that he was the baby’s father. Samuel could see it.
A sense of satisfaction suddenly blossomed on Samuel’s chest. Yes, Emery must have hidden the fact that he was the baby’s father!
He opened his mouth to speak. “So he doesn’t know, does he? About my baby-”
The words hadn’t fully left his lips when a fist met his face.
The impact knocked him back hard. The floor under his feet gave way in an instant, and Samuel stumbled, one knee hitting the polished tile with a thud. His head spun.
He looked up.
Logan Hayes stood over him, his hand still clenched. His expression was unreadable. Behind him, Emery didn’t speak. She simply stared at him as if she was watching a good show.
Samuel blinked, wiping his jaw with the back of his hand. He tasted blood.
“You say that again,” Logan said. “And I won’t stop with one punch.”
Samuel pushed himself up, lips curling into a smirk. “What gives you the right to act like some protector, when you don’t even know whose child you’re shielding? Save the performance. You’re embarrassing yourself! I am here <b>to </b>talk to Emery for the future of our child!”
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