Page 38 of The Billionaire's Vow

“You can look, but,” she paused, looking around at the remnants of her lamp, “I doubt it.”

Craig walked over to peer into the fridge, then the freezer.“Nothing but a single frozen pizza?”he grumbled, rubbing his belly as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

Giselle sighed, rolling her eyes at his dramatic disappointment over her near-empty freezer."It’s been a busy week," she said, avoiding the truth.The truth was, grocery shopping wasn’t a priority when most of her paycheck disappeared into other people's hands.

Craig grinned and pointed to the now-open cabinet where there was only a container of coffee grounds."Sure, Zelly.Or maybe you were planning to survive off coffee."

She snorted, already feeling lighter with him here.He had that effect on her when he was like this—almost clear-eyed, joking, the big brother she used to rely on."Hey, don’t mock my coffee!"

"Yeah, well, I think you should make some damn pizza before you turn into an actual spreadsheet."He went back to the freezer and grabbed the pizza and tossed it onto the counter with a thud."I’ll preheat the oven while you finish cleaning up this mess."

She hesitated, watching him sweep up the last bits of glass, his movements steady, almost too focused.But she let it go.For now.Because it felt good to have him here, helping instead of hurting.

As the oven heated, she changed out of the new dress, hanging it carefully in her closet.The dress had changed something inside her today.When she wore it, she felt different—stronger, more confident, more like a woman who was allowed to take up space instead of shrinking herself to accommodate everyone else.Maybe she should start dressing like that more often.Maybe she deserved to.

By the time she returned to the kitchen, Craig had cleared away the last of the destruction.There was still plenty of damage, of course—her broken lamps, the ruined couch cushions—but with the glass swept away and the pizza baking in the oven, her apartment didn’t feel quite so violated.

They sat on the floor together, just like when they were kids, waiting for their late-night snack to finish cooking.

It had been so long since she’d had an evening like this—just laughing, joking, teasing him as he exaggerated some ridiculous story about a job he almost landed.He was like this when he was sober.Funny.Sharp.The brother she adored.

"You remember when we used to do this after Mom and Dad passed out?"Craig asked, leaning back against the cabinets, stretching his legs out in front of him."We’d sneak whatever leftovers were in the fridge and eat on the floor so we wouldn’t wake them up."

She smiled at the memory, taking a sip of water."You always took the last of the mashed potatoes."

"Because you let me!"He smirked."Admit it.You wanted me to have them because I was your favorite person in the world."

She rolled her eyes, nudging his knee with her foot."Right.That’s definitely it."

But the truth was, she had let him.Back then, she used to give him extra food, save him the last cookie, slip her allowance into his backpack when she knew he needed it.

She still did, didn’t she?Pushing the thought aside when the oven timer pinged, indicating that the pizza was done.Pushing onto her feet, Craig followed her.“You were a great big sister,” he admitted and even hugged her.Giselle pulled the pizza out of the oven, then onto the wooden cutting board.Thank goodness she still had heating pads.She grabbed the pizza cutter out of the drawer and handed it to him."You cut.You always complain when I do it."

Craig grinned."Because you cut slices like a serial killer."

"That doesn’t even make sense."

"Look,” he teased, waving her out of the way, “just let the professional handle it," he said, dramatically rolling his shoulders before slicing the pizza into even sections.

She brought the pizza, wooden board and all, back to the family room.They ate right there on the floor, joking, reminiscing, laughing about the terrible thrift store couches their parents had cycled through over the years.The familiarity, the warmth, the goodness of it all made her chest ache.This was the brother she loved.The one she wished she could keep.

After they finished, Craig stretched out on the couch, propping his hands behind his head."I’ll crash here tonight.Just to make sure no one comes back to finish the job."

A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it down."You don’t have to do that."

He yawned and shrugged."I know."

She hesitated, then reached over and squeezed his hand."Thanks, Craig."

For one night, just one, she didn’t have to be the strong one.She fell asleep knowing that if something happened, he was there.And for the first time in a long time, she slept hard and deep, wrapped in the warmth of finally feeling safe.

Chapter 16

“Caretotellmewhat happened?”Dimitri demanded the following morning, striding into her office and slamming the door shut with enough force to rattle the picture frames on the wall.

Giselle flinched, her already frayed nerves on edge.She looked up from the stack of files on her desk, her fingers instinctively tightening around the pen she’d been using.The fear from last night still weighed on her, pressing down on her shoulders, making her feel sluggish.Her apartment had been trashed.She’d only slept until she’d heard her brother sneaking out in the early hours of the morning.And now, Dimitri was here, looking like an avenging angel sent to tear through whatever—or whoever—had dared to disturb his world.

“I’m…sorry?”she replied, blinking at him in confusion.