The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
Chapter 88

Flair POV

The moment we made it out to the carpark, John veered away from us both with a smirk on his face. "John, our car is that way," I said confused.

He looked apologetically at me "Flair I appreciate your kind offer" he coughed, glancing at Grayson who did not seem remotely surprised by his Grandfather's behavior at all "but I cannot leave my home. My wife died in that house and I intend to go the same damn way, whether that hussy Karen or her daughter Charlotte like it or not" he growled "so while I thank you for offering to have me" he added with a small nod "I'm afraid I must decline."

A limousine pulled out in front of him. Grayson nonchalantly put his Grandfather's things into the boot of the limousine while the driver assisted John into the backseat. "Grayson," I said with concern "John is..."

"Let him go," Grayson said with a sigh "We can't force him to live with us and no doubt he had this planned the moment we offered to take him in. He had no intention of living with us Flair," he said shrugging at me "and to be honest, maybe it's for the best. He would only be miserable if he was forced to live in a new home that he was unfamiliar with."

"But" I began to protest, worried for John's health as Grayson stepped back and put an arm around my waist "What if he has another heart attack?"

John poked his head out of the limousine "Don't you fret girlie" he called out to me, winking "I feel healthy as a horse. I'm quite looking forward to going home and upsetting the women who wanted to see the back of me. If you feel the need, then have Grayson call or text me to see if I'm still alive."

I slumped. Grayson just shook his head. "You do know that the doctor believed you were going to be looked after" he admonished his grandfather evenly.

"I'm not dead yet" John quipped unapologetically "and as long as my legs and my heart work there's no need to have anybody else help me."

He gave us a genial wave as the driver shut the door, glancing out the window. The driver gave us a sympathetic glance and then climbed back into the front seat, shutting the door. I watched silently as the old man was driven out of the car park, no doubt celebrating the successful coup he had just managed to pull off. Grayson gave a chuckle and squeezed my shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself, that man is a force of nature" he commented drily "I should have been more suspicious when he didn't put up more of a fight."

"Do you think he'll be alright?" I asked doubtfully, as Grayson turned us both in the direction of our own car "I mean, Charlotte and Karen aren't going to be pleased when he arrives, are they?"

Grayson smirked "I wish I could see the look on their faces when he appears. I bet he has a few choice words to say to them too" he murmured with glee.

I sniffed "I was looking forward to having him at home with us" I admitted, as Grayson chuckled. "Trust me, it's for the best. Besides, we have Roscoe at home waiting for us" he pointed out, as the driver opened the door for us and Grayson held my hand, assisting me to get inside "And he's more than a handful as it is" he finished teasingly.

I settled against the seats. "Do you mind if we take a quick detour to my firm?" asked Grayson frowning "I want to grab some paperwork to do at home and grab a file or two."

I shook my head "I have no objections, I think it would be nice to see Timothy again" I added agreeably and then giggled "hell maybe Rachel will be there."

Grayson grinned "I wonder if they've moved in together yet?" he mused "Timothy was dead scared to broach the subject. They make a great couple though" he added with a raised brow "And the way they look at each other, well" he sighed.

Well, what? What had he been about to say? There was a look on his face, one I couldn't quite decipher. It made me pause.

"It reminds me of us," he said tightly.

Did it? Sometimes I looked at Rachel and could see the sheer love in her eyes as she gazed at Timothy. She might deny it, or she might feel like it was too early in the throes of the relationship, but I knew she loved this man. It was there, in the way they touched, the way they spoke, the way her eyes sparkled when she remembered something he had done for her. I envied it. I knew that if Timothy ever said the words to Rachel, it would be significant and it would mean the world to her. But why was I so hung up on that? Was it because I wanted to hear those words come from Grayson? Did I even have the right to want that, when this was meant to be a contract marriage? Just looking at Grayson, at his profile, the chiseled jaw, the brightness of his eyes, and the way his hair flopped over his eye, made me want to lean over and brush my hand over his face. To touch him. He glanced out the window and his profile was lit up in light, making him look almost angelic in appearance.

I sighed. It was foolish to dream this man might have feelings for me. To maybe one day love me. Hadn't he been one of the most eligible bachelors before we agreed to say the words 'I do' together? Hadn't his priority been to get his hands on the family company, the stipulations clearly laid out in front of me before I agreed to wed him? My chest tightened. I was naive. I was a fool. I had thought that I could protect my heart. I had thought that I could live with a contract marriage but now I knew, it was impossible to protect your heart against something that was determined to get its hold on you. I was madly, deeply in love with my husband and it hurt, so bad, to know that my feelings might never be reciprocated back. I bit my lip. It was depressing. Grayson shot me a sharp look. "Are you alright?" he asked, his tone almost concerned. How did I answer that? I was alright physically but emotionally I was a mess. I was wreck. For an heiress, I was acting like a love struck teenager that was doomed to be single forever. "I'm fine" I uttered, my tone unconvincing, even to me.

Grayson raised a brow and I flushed, glancing out the window in an effort to gather up my composure.

I felt his hand on my forehead. I blinked. "You look heated" he murmured "but you don't have a temperature."

Oh. I swallowed hard "No, it's just hot in the car" I protested weakly.

He pulled his hand away and went back to looking through the window. I rubbed my forehead and prayed we were going to make it to the firm shortly. The car pulled into the parking lot. We were here. I had never been so relieved in my life. "Do you want me to come inside?" I asked him as he went to open the door.

"I was only planning on grabbing the stuff and then coming back out" he murmured, "so I should only be a minute or two." He looked slightly impatient. Was he mad at me or was he merely focussing on what he needed to grab? The driver stretched out his legs. "I'll just wait here then," I said quietly as Grayson nodded at me.

"I won't be long" he promised as I sat back resigned "If you get tired of waiting, just give me a call."

He hesitated and then reached over, cupping my cheek and kissing me softly as I leaned into his embrace. A gentle smile came over my lips as he pulled back. His eyes were bright as he looked at me. "There's something I want to talk to you about tonight," he said, his voice a bit thick and hoarse "Something important."

Something important? I could feel my heart beating fast. With everything that had been happening with his grandfather we hadn't had much opportunity to speak to each other, Grayson's main concern taking care of John. I had understood that but now, now there was an indication that there had been something on his mind.

I felt nervous. I licked my lips and slowly nodded. Grayson flattened his lips.

"I'll be back."

He exited the vehicle and shut the door. I could hear him speaking to the driver and then watched as he began to make his way into the building. The driver quietly got back into the car, settling against the seat. He gave a yawn.

"The master shouldn't take too long Mrs Oakes," he said calmly.

But minutes passed. I shifted on the seat, uncomfortable. Grayson had said he wouldn't be long. The driver looked concerned as we heard footsteps approaching the limousine. I thought it might be Grayson, except that there were numerous footsteps, meaning more than one. "Stay in the car" the driver ordered gruffly, opening the door and beginning to step out.

'Bang' the driver was shot right in front of me.

The door was pulled violently open and a hand was roughly shoved over my mouth as I began to struggle and scream against a piece of fabric, while another man in a business suit kicked the driver out of his way and got into the front seat, shutting the door behind him.

"Drive," the man said, holding me as I fought for breath, becoming lightheaded and dizzy "Hurry up, we're lucky that nobody heard that shot with the silencer, but they're going to replace that body any minute now."

I opened my mouth to try and scream again and felt something hard hit the back of my head, my body flopping forward, darkness surrounding me.