The Billionaire's Substitute: Her Final Escape

The heavy paper cup hit the bottom of the metal trash can with a dull thud.

Elease didn't pause for a single second. She turned on her heel and walked away, her strides long and purposeful as she headed straight for the elevator at the end of the hall.

Inside the office, Brogan violently pushed Kori off his lap. He stood up so fast his chair hit the wall. He strode to the door and yanked it open, but the hallway was already completely empty.

In the descending elevator, Elease stared down at the angry red burn blistering on the back of her hand. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped the spilled coffee off her skin, rubbing so hard it felt like she was trying to scrub away the disgusting image she had just witnessed.

The elevator doors opened on the Human Resources floor.

Elease walked with absolute authority. She didn't knock. She pushed open the glass door to Julian's office and marched right in.

Julian was leaning back in his chair, talking on his headset. He jumped when the door slammed against the wall. He frowned deeply, covering the microphone with his hand, and aggressively shooed her away.

Elease ignored him. She slammed her resignation letter down onto the center of his desk. The smack of paper against wood was loud as a gunshot.

Julian hastily ripped his headset off. He glanced at the letter, his face turning red with anger.

"Absolutely not. I told you, all personnel changes are frozen during the CEO transition," Julian snapped, sliding the paper back toward her.

Elease planted both hands flat on his desk. She leaned forward, invading his space.

"I have four months of accumulated PTO. I am taking it starting right now," Elease stated, her voice cold and absolute.

She pulled out her phone, opened the Walton HR portal, and tapped the screen.

"I just submitted the mandatory leave request. This isn't a negotiation, Julian. It's a notification," Elease said, staring dead into his eyes.

Julian slammed his fist on the desk.

"If you walk out that door, I will have legal slap you with a massive breach of contract lawsuit. You'll be ruined!" he threatened, his spit flying.

Hearing the word 'ruined', Elease actually laughed. The sound was harsh and entirely devoid of humor.

She was suffering. Her heart felt like it was rotting in her chest from the endless psychological torment. Did he really think she gave a damn about bankruptcy?

Elease reached up and unclipped her Walton Group employee badge. She pulled her desk key off her keychain. She threw both items directly at Julian's chest.

She turned around and walked out of the office.

The entire bullpen of HR employees was staring at her in stunned silence. Elease ignored them all. She kept her chin high and walked straight toward the exit.

"Elease! Get back here!" Julian screamed from his doorway.

Elease didn't even turn her head.

She pushed through the heavy glass doors of the Walton Group building and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The midday New York sun hit her face, blindingly bright. For the first time in five years, she felt a strange, intoxicating rush of freedom.

She took a deep breath of the exhaust-filled city air. She pulled out her phone and permanently blocked Brogan and Nolan's numbers.

She put her phone away and stepped off the curb to cross the street toward the subway.

Suddenly, the roar of a massive engine tore through the street. A matte black Mercedes G63 swerved toward the curb and slammed on its brakes, stopping less than two feet from Elease's legs.

Elease gasped, stumbling backward. Her heart gave a painful, erratic thump as adrenaline flooded her system. She stared at the aggressive, military-grade vehicle in shock.

The heavy driver's side door swung open.

Antwan Stanton stepped out. He was a notorious fringe member of the Stanton family, a ruthless playboy who despised Brogan and made it his life's mission to humiliate the Walton patriarch by claiming his discarded territories-and his discarded women. A predatory, arrogant smirk was plastered across his face.

Antwan ignored the honking traffic behind him. He walked straight up to Elease, using his massive height to completely trap her in his shadow.

"Elease," Antwan purred, his voice thick with amusement. "Congratulations on finally getting thrown out by that hypocritical dog, Brogan."

Elease's stomach churned with disgust. She didn't want to deal with this psycho. She stepped to the side, trying to walk around him.

Antwan's hand shot out. His large fingers wrapped around her wrist like a steel vice, squeezing so hard the bones in her arm ground together.

"Let go of me!" Elease cried out, the physical pain shooting up her arm. She yanked her arm, but he didn't budge. "Let go, or I'm screaming for the cops!"

Instead of letting go, Antwan yanked her forward. He slammed her body hard against the side of his G63.

He leaned down, his mouth hovering inches from her ear. He whispered something so graphically vile and degrading that Elease's blood ran cold.

A wave of pure nausea hit her. Elease raised her free hand and swung it as hard as she could toward his face.

Antwan easily caught her wrist mid-air, though the force of her struggle made him stumble slightly. He pressed his body weight fully against hers, pinning her against the hot metal of the car. The overwhelming smell of expensive cigars and aggressive male pheromones made Elease choke.

Panic seized her chest. Her heart started to palpitate wildly.

Just as Elease thought she was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen, she looked over Antwan's broad shoulder.

Parked on the opposite side of the street, idling silently, was a familiar black Maybach.