Jake let out a sharp exhale and pushed back his chair, his hand brushing over his jaw.
His mother's schemes were advancing faster than he had anticipated. Helena wasn't just here for a visit. She was a message, a reminder that his mother had no intention of backing down.
He couldn't sit here surrounded by walls that seemed to hum with his mother's schemes. He needed air. Space and more than anything, he needed to clarify things.
Deciding that, Jake grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair and shrugged it on with sharp, precise movements.
When he opened the door, Bella looked up from her desk, her pen pausing mid-stroke. Her brows knit slightly when she saw him.
She'd been wondering what they'd talked about for ages and if they were pretty close since Helena had wasted some time inside and had stepped out with a smile.
But seeing his face now, she doubted what she'd seen.
