Carter POV
I stormed into Rosie’s office without knocking.
She was sitting behind her desk, flipping through some file like she hadn’t just tried to destroy my entire life. Her head turned slowly, and then came that smug-ass smile.
“Don’t even,” I snapped.
She leaned back in her chair, calm as hell. “Morning, Carter.”
“Why the fuck would you do something like that?”
She tilted her head like she didn’t know what I was talking about.
“Do what?”
I slammed the door shut behind me. “Drugging me? Setting me up with Emma? Making sure Jane would see the photos? Are you insane?!”
“I did what I had to do,” Rosie said, crossing her arms. “I was protecting the King name.”
I laughed bitterly. “Protecting it? Are you serious right now?”
I walked straight to her desk and slammed my palms on it.
“You humiliated the mother of my children, Rosie. She’s pregnant with twins. Your nieces or nephews. And you dragged her name through the mud like she was trash. You call that protecting the family?”
“She’s an Ellis,” Rosie hissed, standing up. “You think I forgot what her father did to our family? To our dad? To this company? She’s one of them.”
“No,” I growled. “She’s not.”
Rosie’s lips parted, ready to argue, but I cut her off.
“She may carry the Ellis name,” I said, voice sharp, “but she is nothing like that monster. She’s kind. She’s strong. She’s been through hell and never once used our name to get anything. She’s raising my children, and she was willing to walk away without a single fight.”
“Because she knows how to play the victim,” Rosie muttered.
I stepped closer, my voice dropping low.
“We are going to fix this. Right here. Right now.”
“And if we don’t?” she said, eyes narrowing.
“Then I walk,” I said, straight to her face. “From the company. From the name. From everything.”
Rosie’s eyes widened. “You’d step away from the Kings?”
“If it means choosing between the family name and her? Yes. Without hesitation. Kings don’t treat pregnant women like they’re disposable. You crossed a line.”
Rosie backed up and sank into her chair, looking rattled for the first time.
“She’ll destroy us,” she whispered.
“No,” I said. “She’ll save me.”
The room went quiet. She didn’t respond.
I pulled out my phone and called my driver.
“Pick Jane up,” I said. “She’s at the apartment she stayed in before. You know the one.”
“Yes, sir.”
I ended the call and turned back to Rosie.
“You stay out of this from now on. If you ever go near her again with this shit, I’ll go public with what you did. I’ll ruin you.”
Rosie’s jaw clenched. But she said nothing.
Good.
Twenty minutes later, I stood in the lobby of our office building, pacing like a maniac.
My driver called.
“They’re here,” he said.
I rushed to the entrance, heart pounding. I had no idea what I was walking into. Jane hadn’t answered my texts. I didn’t even know if she would get in the car.
But when the door opened, I froze.
There she was.
Jane.
Hair tied up, wearing leggings and a hoodie, face tired but still beautiful—even with the sadness in her eyes.
But she wasn’t alone. Next to her was a woman. And she looked… just like Jane. Same eyes. Same jaw. Same stare.
I blinked.
“What the hell…?”
Jane crossed her arms, her mouth tightening.
“What the hell do you want, Carter?”