The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
[Book 2] Chapter 51

Knox POV

I'm not an expert at reading the room but even I know something is wrong. When the man suggests a lap dance and Lorelai is frozen, it hits me where I know her from. It all comes flooding back to me and I feel like a fool. How could I have forgotten her? It didn't matter to me where she had worked, or what she had done in the past. What mattered to me was the irritation of discovering that my mind had unknowingly discarded some important information that would have proved useful. When he continued to put his hand on Lorelai and refused to let go of her I saw red. When he dissed her and insulted her by claiming she wasn't a lady, I had enough. I punched him, my jaw clenching tight. I didn't dare look at Lorelai, certain she would be disgusted at my lack of composure and my loss of temper.

"You son of a b***h. Do you even know who she is?" I hissed as the crowd went silent and watched expectantly.

The man glanced towards his friends but they were glancing down at the floor now. Evidently they had realized who I was and knew the foolishness of coming to this man's rescue.

"I'm Hunter Mathias," he says arrogantly while I stare at him stony-faced and Lorelai continues to stand there frozen "And she's nobody" he snaps.

My hand reaches for his throat. I lift him off the ground, the veins in my neck bulging with anger. I hear gasps from the crowd but nobody attempts to stop me or intervene.

"I'm Knox Grant," I tell him quietly, as he gapes and tries to claw at my hands "and this woman, as you call her, is my fiance."

It was too late to take the words back. More gasps from the crowd. I see lan approaching, a grim expression on his face. Lorelai jolts and then stares at me, the blood draining from her face. Hunter Mathias pales. He's laid hands on a Grant's woman. There's no coming back from that. He knows it. The crowd knows it. He's a dead man. I give him a malicious grin. Security comes and grabs the man. I squeeze his neck hard, causing his eyes to bulge before placing him calmly and slowly down. Security grabs him. "I apologize for the slow response Mr Grant," the head of security says, ducking his head.

"Get him out of my sight" I rasp and the security men nod, dragging a mutinous Hunter Mathias away while I turn towards Loralai who is hugging herself and sobbing quietly.

My eyes widen "Lorelai" I reach for her hand but she shakes her head, staring at the crowd helplessly.

Flair and lan reach us. "What the f**k?" I demand, as Flair begins to hug Lorelai and soothe her "lan what happened?"

He frowns and then grabs his phone. He shoots a quick look at Lorelai and then opens a video. I inhale sharply. It's a video of Lorelai, topless, dancing on a platform in a stripper's outfit. Everybody's looking away now, but it's evident they have seen it. I fight to keep myself from screaming at the crowd.

"Who?" I ask hoarsely as lan stops the video and looks at me apologetically "Who leaked the video?"

Lorelai's face is streaked with tears. Flair is wiping her eyes when Lorelai suddenly stills. Her voice is so quiet I almost miss it. "Abigail."

"What?" I say, looking at her and wishing she would let me hold her.

She has to know I don't blame her for this. For any of it. I just want to take away the pain and humiliation and I can't. Not yet. But was she certain it was Abigail's doing?

Flair is scanning the crowd, her arm around Lorelai. The crowd is beginning to mutter amongst themselves and turn away from what had been a spectacle. She points discreetly "There" she whispers and I look.

Abigail's face is wreathed in triumph. She's grinning wickedly as she's surrounded by her friends, more women or girls to be more accurate, as shallow and as vain as she is. She's like a queen holding court to her underlings as they giggle and laugh amongst themselves, enjoying themselves at Lorelai's expense. I grit my teeth "That f*****g b***h" I snarl.

"She was showing them a video when we walked past" Lorelai mumbled, holding onto Flair as though her life depended on it "I never thought it would have been something like that."

She must have looked over my shoulder and seen what lan had shown me. I can feel my body shaking with the need to punch something. I take deep breaths as lan quietly pats me on the shoulder.

"I'm taking Father home" he whispers "so that we can do some damage control. You should think of doing the same."

I nod tightly. Flair quickly says her goodbyes to her brother. I turn towards her "I'm sorry about your fundraiser" I say but she waves her hand at me dismissively.

"Don't worry about it, just put that b***h in her place" she murmurs in my ear "She deserves anything you do to her after what she's put Lorelai through. I only hope that Lorelai's going to be okay. The women in this world are cruel and vicious."

She hugs Lorelai and steps back. "Don't let this break you honey" she tells her, "because that's what they want. I can tell you I don't give a flying f**k what you did for a living and I admire you for doing what you had to. These women have no idea of what it's like in the real world."

Her voice is loud and carrying, causing some of the women to look ashamed of themselves instead of pleased. Lorelai nods but still avoids my gaze. I reach for her hand but she pulls away and I sigh. 'Give her time' Flair mouths.

"I just want to go home," Lorelai says, sniffling.

It's breaking my heart. I did this. I put her in a world where the women feast on the vulnerable and take down those who are the kindest among them. I put her in this situation and I let her drown. I'm the worst boyfriend, or fiance, that ever exists. I failed to protect the woman I loved from a society that makes a habit of tearing people down. I feel such anger but it's not directed at her, but at myself.

"Let's go home Lorelai," I say quietly and she nods, smiling weakly at Flair.

"Thank you for everything" she whispers, her voice cracking.

"Thank you. I hope to see you again soon" Flair promises, her eyes narrowing as she looks around the crowd "And I think that it's time to officially declare this evening at an end," she says tersely. Lorelai is silent as we make our way out of the room. I help her put her wrap back on and then we walk out towards the limousine.

The driver opens the door and we get in silently. Lorelai sits as far away from me as possible, tucking her dress underneath her and staring miserably out the window. Her face is streaked with tears and her hair is coming undone from its updo. She looks nothing like the radiant princess that started out the night with such enthusiasm. My chest tightens. I try to choose my words delicately, aware of how she must be feeling and knowing that nothing I do or say is going to make the pain of tonight any better. "Lorelai I'm sorry..."

She turns and stares at me blankly. She lets out a laugh that chills me to the bone.

"You're sorry," she says frostily "For what Knox? You're not the one who leaked the video," she said shrilly as I wince "I should have known better. After all, I didn't tell you who I was. You must be so embarrassed by me."

Her tone is bitter and resigned. I shake my head in denial "Lorelai I'm not embarrassed by you."

"Really? Because no doubt your investors are going to see that video and it's going to affect your company. Not to mention, you didn't recognize me from the club" she says accusingly, her voice filled with emotion.

"I didn't remember you, but that doesn't change the way I feel towards you. I don't care what the investors think." "Your father and brother may think differently" she interrupts, her tone bleak "and I don't blame them. I'm hardly daughter-in-law or sister-in-law material. You should never have said that we were engaged," she said her voice cracking "what were you thinking? All that's going to do is make it worse when people discover that it's not the truth."

I reach for her hand. This time she lets me take it. "Lorelai, stop putting yourself down. My father and my brother have nothing to do with my feelings for you" I said firmly as she looked down at our hands "and something like this is not going to make me start running away."

"I wouldn't blame you if you did. But how are you going to fix this Knox?"

I kiss her on the cheek, cupping her face. "I don't know" I admit quietly "but all that matters is that I still have you. I'll get Abigail Stevens back for what she did but...."

"Two wrongs don't make a right" she interrupts, her eyes streaming "Please, just let it go" she pleads.

I want to refuse. I want to delve into Abigail's background and replace something so embarrassing it will make her crawl into a hole and never come out. But Lorelai's expression is beseeching and she's practically pleading with me not to do something. I exhale slowly. "Only because you're asking me to, otherwise..." I trail off, the implication clear.

She nods and falls silent. We reach the house. Unsurprisingly there is a large crowd of reporters out the front. My father and lan are already standing by the front door, ready. I glance at Lorelai who looks as though she'd like to bolt, her hand shaking.

"We can do this" I whisper, kissing the palm of her hand "but if we don't stand there and face it now, the scandal will continue to spread and become more extravagant. Let's nip this in the bud and face it as a team" I told her quietly as she swallowed thickly, blinking back the tears from her eyes "I'm not about to lose you Lorelai Mathews, not over this, not over anything."

She takes my hand and the driver opens the door. Instantly we are besieged by bright lights from the cameras and microphones are shoved into our faces as we try to make our way towards the front door.