Chapter 82

Chapter 82:

“Dallas! I can walk!” she squeaked, grabbing his shoulders.

“You’re injured,” he lied smoothly. It was a scratch, not a broken leg.

“You just want to carry me,” she accused, color rising in her cheeks.

“Maybe,” he admitted.

He carried her to the private elevator. Azalea followed behind, high-fiving Vanessa on the way.

The private suite was a sanctuary of silence and luxury — modern, decorated in dark woods and cream leather, a stark contrast to the chaos downstairs.

Dallas set Eliza down on a velvet ottoman in the center of the room. He went to the wet bar and poured a glass of water. “Drink p>

In𝘀𝗍𝗮ո𝘵 𝘢𝘤c𝖾𝘴s on ѕ.𝗰o𝘮

Eliza took it. She looked around. The room felt lived-in, yet oddly impersonal.

“Do you —” she hesitated, her voice small. “Do you bring many women here? Is that why you have clothes p>

Dallas paused. He turned slowly, the glass bottle still in his hand.

“Is that what you think?” he asked, his eyes unreadable. “That this is my playground? That I keep mistresses here p>

“You’re a billionaire,” Eliza admitted, looking down at her hands. “It’s a club. It fits the profile p>

Dallas didn’t answer immediately. He crossed to a wall of seamless wardrobes and slid a heavy door open.

“Come here,” he said.

Eliza stood and walked over. She gasped.

The closet was fully stocked. Rows of dresses — cocktail, evening, casual. Coats. Shoes lined neatly along the bottom shelf. She reached out and touched a cream silk dress. It looked familiar. The style was exactly what she liked: elegant, understated, classic.

She checked the tag. Her size. Exactly.

She checked a pair of heels. Her size.

“These are all for me?” she whispered.

“I had them stocked three months ago,” Dallas said. “When we signed the contract p>

He was lying. He had ordered the first pieces over a year ago, updating the selection each season, waiting for the day he could bring her here. But telling her that now would frighten her. Three months was a grand gesture. A year was an obsession.

“I knew there would be nights like this,” Dallas said, stepping behind her. “When the world was too loud and you needed somewhere safe. I wanted you to have everything you needed p>

“You didn’t know me then,” Eliza said, turning to face him. “We were strangers p>

“I knew I wanted to protect you,” he corrected. He placed his hands on her waist. “There are no other women, Eliza,” he said, his voice low and uncompromising. “There never were. This suite has been waiting for you. Only you p>

Eliza felt tears prick her eyes. The depth of care was overwhelming. He hadn’t merely bought her — he had prepared a life for her.

“You built a safe house for me before I even accepted it,” she realized.

“I am a patient man,” he said. He leaned down, his forehead resting gently against hers. “I knew you would come eventually p>