Ms. Escape: Marrying to Run, Fighting to Rise Novel

Chapter 159 Observation Finisherf Jeremy watched the butler's face shift like a shadow crossing glass . His tone stayed calm . " Arthur , remind . me . How long have you been working for me ? " Arthur straightened his back at once . " I started as your assistant when I was 38. Then I became the Bartons butler . It's been more than 20 years now , sir . " Jeremy gave a slow nod . More than 20 years . He still remembered that day . Arthur had joined the Bartons the same year his son and daughter - in - law died in that wreck in Haldoria . So that was when the trail began .

His chest felt heavy , like someone had pressed a stone against his heart . He told himself he wasn't hurt , but that was a lie he couldn't believe . For almost 30 years , every person he'd fed and trusted had been nothing but wolves waiting for his blood . I'm tired . I'm too old for this . Jeremy rose to his feet . His hands clasped behind his back , his sigh long and weary , and he walked back to his room . He fell asleep not long after . Then the front door opened . Footsteps echoed across the hall . Danielle had come home . " Where's Grandpa ? " she asked as soon as she saw the butler .

Arthur hurried to answer . " Ms. Danielle , Mr. Jeremy's resting . He said he's tired ." Danielle gave a small nod . " Then I'll wait for him . " Her eyes lingered on him for a beat . " Has Grandpa done anything unusual lately ? " Arthur hesitated before answering . " He called Justin . Told him to come home . " Danielle froze . " Justin ? " Justin Hotchner was the Bartons ' adopted son , Jeremy had picked him out of an orphanage years ago , raised him like his own , and molded him to be the Barton Group's future heir .

Everything in the family belonged to Nicole , but Jeremy feared she wasn't strong enough to run the company . So he'd prepared Justin to stand in her place . Danielle and Chandler both hated that man . Justin was sharp . Too sharp . And nothing could bend him . Danielle had tried everything to win him over . Flattery , money , promises . Nothing worked . Not even temptation . She had walked into his room without a single thing on her body , and he still told her to get out 20:14 Wed , Jan Chapter 159 Observation The memory made her jaw ache . Her molars pressed until it hurt .

That bastard was worse than Curtis . Fosshed Curtis kept everyone away because of his obsession with control . But Justin - she had walked right into his space , stood in front of him bare , and he hadn't even looked twice . His eyes were cold , untouched by any hint of desire . Arthur lowered his voice . " Don't trouble yourself , Ms. Danielle . Mr. Jeremy brought him back for Ms. Nicole's sake . He doesn't trust you or your father . " Danielle drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly . " So he even called Justin hack , ' she said , her tone edged with amusement .

" So he's finally writing his will and planning to announce Nicole as his heir in front of the press . A faint smirk lifted the corner of her mouth . The tension in her shoulders cased . She could already see it playing out in her mind . Justin would rush back home , all loyalty and devotion , helping Nicole handle the family's affairs . Then , once Jeremy was gone , he'd learn that everything had been handed to her and Chandler instead . The image of his face at that moment sent a spark of excitement through her .

The man who'd served so faithfully for years would , in the end , still end up beneath her feet . Danielle gave a low laugh and sank into the couch , the sound of it soft but full of satisfaction . " Sir , Mr. Justin has arrived , the maid's voice came from outside the door . Justin had flown all night from Moweland . For years , he'd managed nearly all of the Bartons ' foreign businesses . That was why Danielle and Chandler kept their guard up around him . He stepped through the doorway with steady , measured strides . He looked taller somehow , colder too .

His eyes , sharp and clear , carried the chill of winter itself . Danielle froze where she sat . Her chest tightened before she could stop it . She hated to admit it , but Justin had become something rare . A man who'd clawed his way out of an orphanage and still managed to shine like a polished gem . His elegance didn't come from wealth or birth . It was something built into his bones . Anyone looking at him would never guess he'd once been abandoned She used to chase after Curtis . Not for love , but for the power of his family name .

She'd never fooled herself into thinking it was anything more . Curtis had a sharp tongue that could slice through steel . No woman could fall for a man who spat poison that easily . But Justin wasn't like him . He was different . He was an orphan , but he carried himself with that same quiet authority as the Bartons . It gave her a strange illusion , like he was someone she could own , someone she could bend if she wanted to . That was what made her heart race . And yet , he never once looked her way . " Where's Grandpa ? " Justin's voice cut through the room . He didn't even glance at her .

" Mr. Justin , Mr. Jeremy's asleep , the butler said with a polite smile . " You've grown even more impressive , sir . " 12-14 Wed , Jan Chapter 159 Observation Finished Justin barely reacted . His kind of beauty wasn't loud or wild . It didn't demand attention like Curtis's brash charm . It was cleaner , colder , almost untouchable . He looked like he'd walked out of a painting of some saint who'd sworn off everything human . His eyes carried that same stillness , free of desire and warmth alike . Danielle couldn't remember ever seeing his expression change .

Maybe being abandoned young had built walls around him . He didn't flinch . He didn't crave . Nothing could stir him . For years , he'd had no women , no scandals , no trace of greed . Sometimes , Danielle thought the only thing keeping him breathing was the sense of duty he owed to Jeremy . I'm right here , you know ! " Danielle snapped , her irritation bursting out . Justin finally turned his head , his tone level and cold . " I didn't see you there . " He stood there with no jewelry , no watch , no ornament of any kind . Just a fitted black suit that looked made for him .

His cuffs were simple . His hands were bare . He had nothing to prove . 148 Ms. Escape : Marrying to Run , Fighting to AdminJ