Chapter 113
Chapter 113:
Dearest Eliza, I know things ended abruptly, but there are some of your mother’s things here — a few small heirlooms I kept safe for you. I’d love for you to have them. Could you meet me for a quick dinner tonight to pick them up? A neutral place. Lance Harrods, a lovely banker, has offered to host at Le Bernardin. He’s a family friend.
The guilt trip. The manipulation. It was a well-worn path. But this time, Eliza saw an opening. The mention of her mother’s heirlooms was a lure she couldn’t ignore — a final transaction. If she did this, she could retrieve a piece of her past and clear the ledger for good.
She typed back a curt reply: Fine. I will be there for the heirlooms. Nothing more.
She needed to breathe. She needed to see Dallas.
When she arrived at S&D headquarters later that morning, the receptionist didn’t ask for ID. She simply smiled. “Mrs. Koch. He’s in a meeting, but for you —” She gestured toward the private elevator.
Eliza took it to the top floor. Weston was waiting outside the double oak doors.
“He’s just finishing up,” Weston said, pulling one open.
Inside, Dallas stood behind his massive desk, reviewing a stack of documents with grim satisfaction.
“The Chapman acquisition is complete, sir,” a lawyer was saying. “The assets have been stripped p>
“Good.” Dallas didn’t look up. “Leave the shell company. Let them keep the name. It’s worthless now p>
𝖳h𝖾 𝗺𝘰ѕ𝗍 𝗽оp𝘶𝗅ar 𝗇𝗈𝘷𝗲𝘭s оn ѕ.𝗰𝘰m
He raised his eyes. They landed on Eliza, still blazing with the lingering heat of battle — and then, instantly, the storm cleared. His face softened, the tension draining from his shoulders.
“Out,” he said, dismissing the lawyers without glancing at them.
They scrambled past Eliza, clutching their briefcases like shields.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Dallas asked, leaning back against his desk and crossing his ankles.
Eliza crossed the plush carpet and stopped directly in front of him.
“The dog bite,” she said.
Dallas smirked — a wicked, entirely unrepentant look. “Nasty business. Rabies, I hear. Had to put the animal down p>
“You destroyed her company,” Eliza said. “Her father had nothing to do with it p>
“I adjusted the market,” he corrected smoothly. “They were overvalued. And they produced a defective product p>
Eliza shook her head, a smile pulling at her lips. “Thank you p>
She stepped into his space. She reached up and grabbed his silk tie.
She pulled him down.
It was not a passive kiss. She pressed her lips to his — claiming him, thanking him, tasting him.
Dallas froze for a fraction of a second, caught off guard by her initiative. Then a low sound rose in his throat and his arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her effortlessly onto the desk. Files slid to the floor. An expensive pen rolled off the edge. He didn’t care. He stepped between her knees and deepened the kiss until they were both breathless.
When they finally broke apart, Eliza’s forehead rested against his.
“If that’s the reward,” Dallas rasped, his voice rough, “I should destroy a company every week p>
Eliza laughed — and then the reality of her evening came crashing back.
“Victoria set up a meeting for me tonight,” she said. “To get my mother’s things back. But it’s a setup. With a man named Lance Harrods p>