Chapter 152
Chapter 152:
“Whatever you did, it worked! I can buy the Porsche now!” Azalea squealed, breaking into a small, triumphant dance. “Wait.” Eliza pressed her fingers to her temples. “You’re buying a car p>
“Two cars,” Azalea said, with an unapologetic wink. “One for me, one for you. Buy one, get one free. It’s a sale p>
Eliza sat up straighter. “No. Absolutely not. I am not letting you buy me a car p>
“Come on, you need one,” Azalea argued, hopping onto a bar stool. “Taking the subway is dangerous with Anson lurking around like a creep. Daddy says public transport is a ‘variable he can’t control.’ And you don’t have the Aston Martin anymore p>
“I returned the keys to Dallas’s security team this morning,” Eliza said firmly. “Driving a car worth more than my life felt like wearing a billboard. I want something that’s mine p>
She paused. “I’ll buy a used Honda. Something reliable. With my own money p>
“Fine. Be boring,” Azalea pouted.
But under the table, her thumbs were already flying across her phone screen.
Azalea: She refused the direct gift. Plan B?
Dallas: Execute Plan B. Make it look like junk.
Yo𝘶𝘳 𝘥a𝘪𝗹𝘺 𝗱𝗈ѕе о𝗳 𝗇o𝘷el𝗌 𝘰𝘯 𝗴𝖺𝗅ո𝘰𝘷е𝗹𝘴.c𝘰𝘮
Later that afternoon, Eliza retreated to the small art studio Dallas had set up for her in a quiet wing of the penthouse. She was attempting to focus on a restoration sketch, but her hand remained unsteady.
Bella Rose, who had stopped by to drop off some files, was watching her with open suspicion.
“You have the ‘I got laid’ glow,” Bella accused, leaning over the drafting table.
“I have the ‘I’m hungover’ pallor,” Eliza corrected, carefully shading a cornice detail.
“Same thing. Was it the mysterious billionaire husband?” Bella teased.
“He’s just… complicated,” Eliza sighed, setting down her pencil.
“Complicated is code for ‘good in bed,’” Bella laughed.
Eliza’s phone pinged on the table.
Dallas: Dinner tonight? I’m making steak.
Eliza stared at the screen. Her heart did that stupid, traitorous flutter again.
She typed: I’m busy.
Her thumb hovered over the send button. She wasn’t busy. She was going to eat instant noodles and watch reality TV.
She deleted it.
She typed: Okay.
Sent.
She could feel the net drawing tighter around her. The terrifying part was that she was walking into it willingly. She wanted the steak. She wanted the quiet. She wanted him.
“Who is it?” Bella craned her neck toward the screen.
“No one. Just spam,” Eliza said quickly, flipping the phone face-down.
Bella smirked. “Spam doesn’t make you blush, Eliza p>
Eliza groaned. She was in so much trouble.
Meanwhile, at a discreet auto body shop in Queens, Dallas stood with his arms crossed, inspecting a vehicle raised on a lift.
Azalea stood beside him, wrinkling her nose at the pervasive smell of oil and grease.
“She won’t take it if it looks expensive,” Azalea warned.
“I know,” Dallas said. He turned to the mechanic — a man named Sal who had worked for the Koch family for twenty years. “Make the exterior look approachable. Cream white. Vintage. Maybe a scratch on the bumper.” He paused. “But inside, I want the V8 engine. Reinforced chassis. Bulletproof glass. Runflat tires p>