CEO Made Her Nephew Lead Mechanic Over a Single Dad—Then the Whole Crew Walked Out
Chapter 14
The vehicle was an old black sedan.
It had been stored in Ronan Vale’s abandoned warehouse for six years.
Inside were traces of the night Claire’s father crashed.
A damaged brake assembly.
A tool kit.
A surveillance device.
And a notebook.
Claire opened it.
The first pages contained dates.
Locations.
Names.
Then she found one that stopped her.
Her own.
The notebook showed that Ronan had tracked Claire for months before her father’s accident.
Mason frowned.
“This was never just about the company.”
Claire looked up.
“What do you mean?”
“They were watching you.”
“Why?”
Mason turned the page.
A photograph of Claire leaving college.
Another outside her apartment.
Another entering Bennett Automotive.
She stared.
“Why would they care about me?”
A handwritten note answered.
If Claire inherits, control becomes harder.
Claire swallowed.
Ronan hadn’t simply wanted the company.
He wanted Claire removed from the line of succession.
Then she found something else.
A page marked with her father’s handwriting.
Mason must protect her if I fail.
Claire closed her eyes.
Her father had known.
He had prepared for the possibility that he wouldn’t survive.
And he’d chosen Mason.
Not because Mason was a powerful man.
Not because he was wealthy.
Because Mason had integrity.
Because he had refused to falsify the report.
Because he had protected customers even when his job was at risk.
Claire looked at him.
“You knew this existed.”
“No.”
“You were supposed to protect me.”
“I didn’t know why.”
“You just did?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Mason thought for a moment.
“Because your father asked me to.”
“And if he hadn’t?”
“I’d still have done it.”
She looked at him.
“Why?”
He stepped closer.
“Because I care about you.”
The words hung between them.
Claire swallowed.
“I care about you too.”
Mason didn’t move.
“You have a daughter.”
“I know.”
“You have a life.”
“I know.”
“You lost someone you loved.”
“I know.”
She whispered,
“And I don’t want to be another person you lose.”
He looked into her eyes.
“You won’t be.”
She reached up.
Their foreheads touched.
Then they kissed.
It wasn’t rushed.
It wasn’t dramatic.
It was the kind of kiss that felt like something that had been waiting for a long time.
When they separated, Claire smiled.
“I’ve been trying not to do that.”
“So have I.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I worked for you.”
She laughed.
“Not anymore.”
“No.”
He looked toward the garage.
“Partners?”
She nodded.
“Partners.”
Back at Bennett Automotive, the crew noticed immediately.
Ray smiled.
Luis shook his head.
Tyler groaned.
“Oh, no.”
Emma appeared beside him.
“Daddy has a girlfriend.”
Mason sighed.
Claire laughed.
The garage felt different.
Warmer.
More human.
But before the day ended, Claire received one final message.
From an unknown number.
Ronan wasn’t the only person behind the accident.
Then another message.
Ask your father who Daniel Cole really was.
Claire stared at the screen.
Daniel Cole.
Mason’s father.
Mason noticed her expression.
“What?”
She handed him the phone.
He read the message.
His face changed.
“My father?”
The past suddenly opened another door.
And neither of them knew where it would lead.
