Chapter 78
Chapter 78:
Dallas was silent for a long moment. The only sound was the rhythmic sweep of the windshield wipers.
“You are many things, Eliza,” he said at last. He didn’t look at her, but his voice was rough at the edges. “Duty is not one of them p>
It wasn’t a confession of love — not in the words a poet might have chosen — but from Dallas Koch, it was an earth-shattering admission.
Across the city, in Anson Hyde’s penthouse, the mood was volatile.
Anson sat on his leather sofa, pressing a bag of frozen peas to his forehead. The bleeding had stopped, but an ugly bruise was already forming.
Claudine paced in front of him, her heels clicking aggressively against the hardwood.
“Married? She’s married to Dallas Koch?” Claudine threw her hands in the air, her voice climbing. “Why didn’t you tell me? That changes everything — the merger, the stocks. If she’s a Koch, she has real power p>
“Shut up, Claudine,” Anson snapped. His head was pounding.
“I won’t shut up! You made me look like an idiot!” she yelled. “You’ve been chasing her around like a lost puppy while she’s been with the richest man in the city p>
𝗥𝘰𝗺а𝘯𝗰𝖾 𝗻o𝘃elѕ 𝗈𝘯
“It’s a fake marriage! He bought her — it’s a contract! She told me!” Anson hurled the bag of peas onto the table.
“And you sabotaged her at S&D!” he shot back, deflecting. “I told you to stay out of it p>
Claudine stopped pacing. She looked at him with cold contempt. “I was trying to help you. You didn’t want her working there. You said you wanted her back at the Manor p>
“I wanted to control where she works! I didn’t want her humiliated by Gavin Ross!” Anson roared. “You pushed her straight into his arms p>
“She was already in his arms, Anson,” Claudine said icily. “You’re just too blind to see it. And now you’re bleeding p>
Anson glared at her. “Get out p>
“Fine,” Claudine spat. “Call me when you’re done playing the victim.” She stormed out, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the windows.
Anson walked to the window. Through the rain, a massive digital billboard glowed in the distance — an advertisement for Koch Industries.
“I will take her back,” he vowed to the empty room. “Whatever it costs p>
He picked up his phone and dialed a number saved under Private.
“It’s Hyde,” he said. “I need intelligence on Dallas Koch. That look in his eyes — it wasn’t just business. Get me something on him. I want everything. Start with his military service. The Middle East years. I want to know where the bodies are buried p>
The sound of leather striking leather echoed through the private gym — a rhythmic, violent pulse. Thud. Thud. Crack.
Dallas was working the heavy bag. He wasn’t wearing gloves. His knuckles were taped, but blood was already seeping through the white gauze. He hit with a ferocity that was unsettling to watch, each punch a release of the rage that had been building since he saw Anson near Eliza.