Love Rents A Room
Chapter 142: An Unbelievable Suggestion

Chapter 142: An Unbelievable Suggestion

Jeffrey walked into the room just as the nurses rolled Joanne back in. They had taken her for a post-surgery MRI. The doctors had assured him the swelling in her brain had gone down, that everything looked good now.

She caught sight of Jeffrey, and even in her hospital gown, hair wrapped in gauze and eyes dulled from meds, her face lit up like dawn breaking. That smile had a way of stripping everything away—the anxiety, the guilt, the self-doubt. She was the light in every corner of his chaos.

He smiled back, took the chair beside her, and sat.

"So," she said, her voice hoarse but steady, "what happened with Tom Sullivan?"

Her expression hardened. Just saying that name left a bitter taste. The memories clawed at her: the terror of being attacked in what was supposed to be a safe space, in a women’s restroom. A place where no one should have to be on guard. That coward had waited, lurking, knowing she’d be alone in there and followed.

It was unforgivable.

Jeffrey told her everything Liam had relayed: Tom would likely be out on bail soon.

Her lips parted. "Bail?" she echoed, disbelief thick in her voice. "So he just walks?" Her eyes narrowed. "Will he only get probation?"

Her voice cracked slightly at the end, and her face turned pale. That man probably had no prior record. With all the lies he spun, he could sell the jury some twisted version of the truth, like he was reacting to her, like he was the one pushed too far.

Her mind spiraled through every worst-case scenario. Would she have to watch over her shoulder for the rest of her life? Just now, she had barely escaped someone who wanted her dead. Caruso was gone but Tom? Would he come back? Would she live in fear again?

Jeffrey’s heart clenched as he watched her face go white, her fingers tremble ever so slightly. This wasn’t the woman he knew—the one who would stare down threats with steel in her spine. This was someone who had been hunted.

He reached out and took her hand.

"Jo..." he said softly.

She looked up at him, her eyes glassy with unshed fear. She didn’t speak, but her silence said everything.

He squeezed her hand, a silent vow passing between them. "I’m on it," he said, his voice low, cold with purpose.

She didn’t ask what that meant. Didn’t press him.

But somehow... that was enough. She exhaled, the tension in her shoulders easing ever so slightly. Whatever Jeffrey had planned, she knew this much:

Tom Sullivan wouldn’t be coming near her again.

"How did the meeting go?" Joanne asked softly.

She hadn’t asked earlier—about the meeting with the union members, with the politicians—but the question lingered in her mind ever since he walked in.

Jeffrey hesitated, then sighed. "Shouldn’t you be resting now?"

"But my head hurts more without knowing..." she pouted, her voice almost childlike.

She was exhausted. Bruised, bandaged, recovering from a brush with death, but she wouldn’t let herself sink into helplessness. Troubles were closing in from every direction. And if there was one thing she’d always known, it was that rest could wait. She had to fight. Had to hold on. Had to protect what mattered.

Jeffrey leaned in closer, his tone dropping to something calm, protective. He gently placed a hand on her head, brushing the gauze with his fingers as if to soothe the storm in her.

"The chairman of Bates Logistics and the vice chairman of the logistics union are working together," he said. "They’re planning to take over your company."

Joanne’s brows furrowed.

"Congressman Campbell and Senator Moore, the senator from the neighboring district—both of them are being lobbied by Imperium Logistics. The plan is for Imperium to buy out Bates. But Imperium wants more than that. In this state, your company is the strongest, so you’ve become the next target. The union’s vice chairman wants to buy you out first—flip your company for a profit and sell it to Imperium."

She didn’t speak. Her lips parted slightly in disbelief, but she listened.

"The pressure—the zoning regulations, the inspections, the sudden delays—it’s all part of their strategy. They want to push you into a corner. Make selling look like your only way out."

It sounded convoluted. But Joanne had lived long enough to know that when greed was involved, logic bent easily. It wasn’t too far-fetched.

She let out a shaky breath, her voice low, almost incredulous. "Isn’t Imperium Logistics a direct competitor to Winchester Logistics?"

That one sentence made Jeffrey pause.

He nodded slowly, but something in his chest ached.

And just like that, the pieces fell together for Joanne. She remembered Philip Winchester encouraging her to expand, suggesting she buy ships and aircraft, push further into logistics. She’d thought it odd at the time. But now?

It wasn’t coincidence. Philip knew. He’d seen this play forming long before she did. He’d wanted to shield her, to make her too strong for Imperium to absorb.

Wow.

Jeffrey watched her closely, her sharp mind already connecting dots.

She was brilliant. Strategic. Strong. And yet, vulnerable in ways she’d never admit.

And now, as her company faced the squeeze of corrupt politics and corporate hunger, he understood exactly why his grandfather had tried to strengthen her.

Still, the storm wasn’t over. And she didn’t know the full truth yet.

Not about the fight ahead.

Not about the man holding her hand.

Not about who he really was.

Joanne looked at Jeffrey, her eyes softening as they settled on his face. There was something unshakable in the way he stood beside her—shoulders squared against the storm, voice steady as he held her hand through the fire.

He wasn’t just present. He was involved. Invested. Fierce.

She never expected this much from him. And yet, here he was.

Her heart stirred—grateful, full—and then, almost instinctively, her mind lit up with a plan.

"What if I merged Shamrock with Winchester Logistics as a subsidiary?" she asked. The pieces fit together far too well in her mind.

Merging Shamrock Logistics with Winchester would take the pressure off her overnight. Imperium couldn’t fight Winchester Logistics. And no one could protect her company and her employees better than Philip Winchester. The man might be ruthless, but he knew how to preserve a legacy. And for once, she was willing to lean on that.

Well... not just Philip.

She had another Winchester by her side now.

Jeffrey Winchester.

The one the rest of the family discarded as useless. The one Philip called a disappointment behind closed doors. The one Joanne saw more brilliance in than anyone else had ever bothered to look for.

Her pride, her best employee... Her man.

If she brought Shamrock to Philip as part of a merger—and handed it alongside Jeffrey—she knew Philip would see Jeffrey’s strength, his vision, his fire. Under Philip’s mentorship, Jeffrey could not only lead Shamrock Logistics, he could lead Winchester Logistics too. Shape it. Rise into everything he was meant to be.

Philip could give the company to Jeffrey even without Shamrock... he was his grandson, but that wasn’t what Joanne wanted. Jeffrey wasn’t keen on returning to his grandfather anytime soon, as she could understand.

She wanted Jeffrey with her. She wanted to keep walking forward with their futures intertwined.

Their hearts were already one. So why not their empires?

It was a win-win. She could protect her people. Jeffrey could prove his worth. And they could build something bigger—together.

Jeffrey blinked. His lips parted slightly, caught completely off guard.

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