Becoming My Ex’s Mother in Law by Aurora Starling

Chapter 42

I tried to carry on business as usual, but I could not stop thinking about my dream and the incident with the glass. I had to wake up even earlier in the morning to make my lunch before I left for work because I didn’t trust leaving it in the fridge overnight anymore. My chest constantly hurt where Bob had stabbed me in my dream.

I did everything I could to avoid Bob and Lisa in the mansion. In a place as huge as that, it wasn’t usually too hard, but I couldn’t avoid them when they had an appointment to discuss their wedding plans. Then it was impossible to hide from Bob’s smirks and roving eyes, reminding me that he could get to me any time he wanted to-he just didn’t want to, yet.

Despite these thoughts taking over my every waking moment, I fooled myself into believing that I had hidden them well from everyone else. I was wrong.

One night after working a full day at Ever After Weddings, I was scrubbing down the enormous en suite bathroom of one of the many guest bedrooms. The bedroom must have been one that they reserved for diplomats and visiting royalty because the bathroom contained a bathtub, shower, hot tub, a double sink, and heated tile floor. Given its size, it was a bi tch to clean.

Still, I couldn’t complain too much. No one had used it in months, and it was my only assignment for the night, so I could just get it done and head for bed. That didn’t stop me from jumping at every little sound, thinking it was Bob or Lisa sneaking up on me.

I was on my knees scrubbing hot tub when a knock at the door jolted me. I nearly dropped my brush as I turned around to see who was there. To my relief, Andrew stood in the doorway.

“A little jumpy?” he teased me.

“There aren’t a lot of people in this area of the house. It gets really quiet. Of course you pounding on the door startled me.”

Andrew chuckled.

“I hardly ‘pounded’ on anything.”

He strolled over to the hot tub, his head swiveling from left to right as he took in the entirety of the bathroom.

Chapter 42

“How much have you gotten done?”

“Let’s see, I’ve done the floor, the shower, and the bathtub. I should be done

with the hot tub here soon, too.”

Andrew let out a low whistle.

“Well, you’ve done an excellent job, so far.”

“Thank you. I aim to please.”

no one of

“I have to say, having a Head Wedding Planner my hot tubs, I feel like I should be paying extra for that,” he said with a wink. “Do you go this extra mile for all your clients?”

I grinned.

“Only the Alpha King.”

“I guess I’m lucky, then. It’s not every day that you have such a beautiful woman on her hands and knees in front of you.”

“And here I thought you told me that you had to keep your secretaries from showing off their beautiful bodies to you.”

“None of them could compare to you.”

The sincerity in his tone and the seriousness in his gaze caused my cheeks to catch ablaze. I stared down at a spot on the hot tub, scrubbing it as though something stubborn would not come off. Inside, Susan howled triumphantly.

“Well, Mr. Dubois, I’m sure that you didn’t come all this way just to compliment my looks.”

“No, but it is a perk of the trip.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “I actually wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh? About what?”

“About how you’ve been behaving the past few days. I noticed that you’ve been, well, jumpier and seem to look over your shoulder a lot. You’ve also been getting up earlier than normal.”

I nodded. All of that was true, so there was no reason to deny it.

Does this have anything to do with your dream? Are you still worried about your attacker?”

didn’t acknowledge the questions.

Is there something else bothering you? Someone?”

I still did not acknowledge him.

Andrew sat down beside me and grabbed my hand. He rubbed his thumb along my palm. My skin tingled where his skin touched it.

“Crystal, I can help you. You just need to tell me what’s going on.”

The gentleness of his touch combined with the firmness of his voice were enough to break my resolve. At least, some of it.

“It’s not only the nightmare that’s bothering me,” I admitted. “That day when I called you from work, something happened at lunch that has me really on edge.”

“What?”

“I…I don’t know if it’s related to whoever attacked me in the alley or not, but… someone, somehow, got into my lunch. They put piece of glass in my sandwich and left a note telling me to watch where I leave my lunch.”

Andrew’s grip on my hand tightened. I looked up at his face and saw that his jaw and n*eck had clenched. A dark look flashed across his face, but it quickly disappeared.

He took a deep breath and relaxed his grip.

“Were you hurt?” he asked calmly.

“Some of my mouth was cut, but not too badly-”

“Let me see.”

I hesitated, then opened my mouth. Andrew shined his phone’s flashlight at me and took a look inside, holding my head steady with his other hand. The act felt surprisingly intimate and gave me goosebumps.

After a minute of this inspection, Andrew turned off the flashlight and backed away. My mouth snapped shut, suddenly dryer than before.

Saam 1

“But I will not stand for this. Someone obviously stalked you to get to your hunch Who knows what else they will do?”

Iswallowed against the knot in my throat, my mouth now dry for other

reasons.

“That’s why I’ve been so uptight lately,” I managed to say. “I don’t know when this person could strike next or where or what they might even do. It’s driving me crazy just thinking about it, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Have you tried calling the cops?”

I shook my head, my whole b*dy now trembling.

“N-no. I don’t know what will happen if I do. I mean, what if they’re watching me right now?”

Andrew wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

“Whoever they are, they cannot find you here, I promise. You are safer here than anywhere else in the world.”

I wished that I could believe him, but with Bob living under the same roof, there was no way that I could ever feel fully safe at the mansion.

Andrew must have sensed my hesitation. He brought his hand to my cheek and guided my gaze to his.

“Crystal, I swear that I will track down your stalker and ensure that they will never bother you again.”

I smiled and nuzzled his palm.

“I know you will.”

“If you have any other problems, I want you to come directly to me. Okay?”

“Okay, I will.”

“No more hiding things from me, all right?”

I bit my bottom l*p.

*All right

He learned forward and k*ssed me on the forehead.

“Good. Come on, it’s getting late. You can finish this bathroom up

tomorrow.”