Chapter 108
Chapter 108:
He put the phone away. He leaned in and cradled her jaw with both hands, his thumb stroking the unbruised side of her face. He pressed his lips to her forehead — soft, reverent.
“Then we go back,” he said, his voice dropping to a low growl. “Fix your makeup. Stand at my side. And you will hold your head high, as the lady of my house p>
“And tomorrow,” he promised, “Claudine will wish she had lost her hand p>
Eliza looked at him and saw the monster beneath the man — the ruthless, vindictive king of industry. And she was not afraid.
She felt safe.
She reapplied powder from her clutch, masking the pain once more. When she looked up, Dallas offered his arm.
𝖱𝖾𝘢d 𝗼ո 𝖺n𝗒 d𝗲vі𝖼e 𝗼𝗻
“Ready p>
“Ready,” she said.
They returned to the party. Dallas did not leave her side for a second. He glared at anyone who ventured too close, a silent, immovable wall between her and the rest of the world.
The return to the ballroom was a trial by fire, but Eliza walked through it unscathed.
With Dallas’s hand firm on her waist, the whispers that had followed her arrival died away. She watched the shift in their eyes — from curiosity to respect, and perhaps a trace of fear. Dallas made it clear: to disrespect her was to challenge him.
For two hours, she played the part perfectly. She charmed investors, laughed at the dry jokes of board members, and met the occasional jealous glance with serene indifference.
But the adrenaline was fading, and exhaustion was settling in its place.
The party wound down around midnight. It had been a success. Eliza had been accepted, scrutinized, and approved by the elite.
As the crowd thinned near the bar, a tipsy guest stumbled backward, crashing into a passing waiter. The tray pitched forward. Champagne cascaded down the back of Eliza’s dress, soaking through the delicate, shimmering fabric.
“Oh my god — I am so sorry!” the guest stammered, recoiling under Dallas’s darkening glare.
“It’s fine,” Eliza said quickly, stepping back.
“Go change in the guest suite.” Sloane appeared at her elbow, smoothly dissolving the tension. “I have a spare gown in the closet. You can’t go home soaking wet — it’s freezing outside p>
The heavy oak door of the guest room muffled the noise of the dying party. Eliza stood before the mirror, reaching behind her to unzip the blue dress.
The zipper was stuck. A section of the wet, delicate fabric had caught in the teeth.
She struggled, twisting her arms behind her back, wincing as pain shot through her tired shoulders. “Come on p>
The door opened.
Dallas entered. His tie was loosened, and he looked as weary as she felt. “Ready to go p>
“I’m stuck. Literally.” She sighed and turned her back to him, letting her arms drop. “The zipper p>
Dallas crossed the room. “Let me see p>
His warm fingers brushed her bare spine. Eliza shivered.
“You are tense,” he said.
“It’s been a long day,” she whispered.
He worked the zipper slowly, deliberately. He freed the trapped fabric, and the zipper slid down with a soft hiss. The dress loosened, pooling at her waist.