Chapter 10: The CEO's Offer

Amy and the others stared, dumbstruck by Byron's sudden move, too shocked to react. Byron stayed stone-faced, seized Amy's hand, and said, "Mom, we're leaving." Still dazed, Amy let herself be pulled toward the door. Only then did Eliana's family snap out of it, their rage boiling over. "Byron, you bastard! You stop right there!" Eliana bellowed, her face turning beet red. Neil, even more incensed, whirled into the kitchen, snatched up a cleaver, and rushed back out. "You little punk, you treat us like this and think you'll walk away? I'll chop you up today!" Byron halted and tilted his head, a lethal glint in his eyes. A chill ran up Neil's spine. He froze where he stood, the hand gripping the cleaver trembling. Byron looked at him with wintry calm. "Uncle Neil, you'd better think it through. Touch me, and you won't like what follows." Neil opened his mouth, then shut it again, cowed by that stare. With a dismissive snort, Byron led his mother out. Watching them go, Eliana rounded on Neil, spitting, "Useless! A grown man scared stiff by a punk. What good are you?" Neil's face flushed, then drained of color. They tramped out to the stairwell landing. Pointing at Byron as he walked away, Eliana let loose a torrent of curses. "Byron, you ex-convict, what's so great about you? Who do you think you can scare? You'll never amount to anything!" Neil chimed in, "Exactly. A jailbird like you, strutting around? Men like you ought to rot behind bars forever!" Ashlyn sneered, even more viciously. "Byron, even your ex ditched you for someone else, and you're still putting on a big-shot act? You're a loser, and a piece of trash. You'll never turn your life around." Hearing the abuse, Amy's face tightened. She gripped Byron's hand, her body trembling. Byron saw how his mother flinched at every word, and anger surged in him. He was just about to turn back and teach Eliana's clan a lesson when an engine roared outside. A scarlet Ferrari roared up, low and growling, followed by a convoy of black SUVs. Tires squealed as the Ferrari braked to a halt in front of Byron. The door swung open, and a long leg in sheer black stockings stepped out. An ice-cool, breathtaking beauty stepped out. Her features were finely cut, her skin luminous. She wore a black haute-couture dress, minimalist yet elegant, tracing every line of her tall, willowy figure. As she stepped away from the car, the other bodyguards spilled out as well, closing ranks around her, alert and protective. Eliana's family gaped, mouths ajar, their insults forgotten in the face of such regal beauty. The icy beauty walked toward Byron with swanlike poise, her high heels clicking crisply on the pavement. "You're Byron Qualls? The guy who worked a miracle and cured a paralyzed patient?" Her voice was cool. Her full red lips curved in a cool smile; she carried herself with effortless authority. Byron blinked and studied her, curiosity stirring. He frowned. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" "I'm Kara Thubron. I heard about what you did and came to see you." Her crimson lips parted slightly. "My father suffers from a similar condition. I hope you'll help. If you can cure him, name your price." Kara Thubron? Upstairs, Ashlyn's eyes flew wide. She squealed. Eliana jabbed her with an elbow and hissed, "Ashlyn, what is it? Why the shock?" Ashlyn couldn't look away from Kara. Her voice trembled. "Mom, that's Kara Thubron, the CEO of Thubron Group. She's the top of the top in this city. If she so much as stamps her foot, the business world shakes." Eliana and Neil were stunned on the spot. They had never imagined that the stunning woman before them would have that kind of stature. "How is that possible? Why would someone like her come to that ex-convict?" Eliana spat through her teeth. Byron stood in place, frowning. Fresh out of prison, he still had a stack of messes to deal with; he had no desire to waste time on a stranger. He was about to refuse when the family upstairs, frantic and furious, yelled to stop him. "Byron, you ex-convict, don't go out there and make a fool of yourself! Who do you think you are? Cure people? Don't you dare make the patient worse!" Eliana screeched. "Yeah, a guy who's been to jail, what skills do you have? Don't go messing him up," Neil shouted. Their jeers grated on Byron. In that instant, he changed his mind. He looked at Kara and said, "I can treat your father, on one condition. Once he's cured, I want a position at your company." Kara stared, momentarily thrown. She had expected him to open with a sky-high fee, the way that celebrated Scott would. She hadn't expected a condition so simple. Money meant little to Byron. He wanted a legitimate position that his family could be proud of. At that, Ashlyn snapped, "Byron, don't push your luck! Who do you think you are? You think you can get into Thubron Group? With a prison record, you aren't even fit to guard the gate!" Eliana cut in, desperate to block it. "Ms. Thubron, don't let this fool con you. Letting him treat your father is playing with the man's life!" Kara tuned them out. Her lips curved and she offered her hand. "Deal. If you can cure my father, you can hold any position in my company." Byron reached out and shook on it. Off to the side, Amy stood there in a daze, unable to make sense of any of it. Kara turned, opened the Ferrari's door for Byron, and gestured him in. Byron didn't hesitate. He slid into the car. Kara got in beside him and told her men, "See this lady home safely." They nodded at once. One stepped up to Amy and said respectfully, "Ma'am, please. We'll get you home safe." Amy still floated in shock. She glanced from the luxury car where Byron sat to the deferential bodyguards, at a loss for words. Byron leaned out the window and called, "Mom, head home and wait for me. I'll be back soon." Amy came back to herself and nodded. "All right, Byron. Be careful." The men escorted her into another car, which rolled away. Eliana's family stared after Byron and Amy, eaten up with envy. They had never imagined that an ex-convict like Byron would catch the eye of Thubron Group's CEO. Eliana shook with rage. Jabbing a finger toward the street, she shouted, "Byron, you bastard! You think trash like you can latch onto someone that far out of your league? Keep dreaming!" Neil added, "Exactly! That good-for-nothing doesn't know the first thing about healing. If he messes it up, the CEO won't spare him!"