He Chose His First Love. I Own His Empire. novel · Chapter 17 of 24
Chapter 17: The Boathouse, Again
Hallie's POV
I woke at four to a cold bed and an open bedroom door.
The couch in the other room was empty, with the blanket thrown back.
Through the window I could see a flashlight beam bobbing down toward the water.
I pulled the green coat on over my nightdress, put my feet into my boots, and ran.
The grass was wet and the lake was black.
Odile's two guards were coming from the gate with their own lights, and I waved them on and kept going.
The boathouse door stood wide, and Benton was in it, with his back to me.
Dalton sat on the boards inside with his legs stretched out and an open bottle beside him.
The original voting agreement lay across his knee.
"There she is," he said. "The holder."
His voice was too calm, and his eyes were red.
"You've done well, Hallie. You really have. I'd clap, but I'm busy."
"Give the paper to Benton," I said.
"I'll tell you something first. Since you came all this way."
"Dalton," Benton said.
"Shut up, cousin. Let me talk to my wife."
He turned the bottle in his hand and did not drink.
"I chose you because you'd never ask," he said. "A pastry cook with a sick mother and no family. I knew you'd say yes and thank me. You never asked where I was on Tuesdays."
"I know where you were."
"Camille was twenty-six when they took her womb." He smiled at the floor. "I held her hand in the hospital. I swore I'd marry her. Then I let her sit in my office for five years and call it waiting."
Keep reading free with an account. Start He Chose His First Love. I Own His Empire. from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.
← Chapter 16 · All chapters · Chapter 18 →
Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend