Chapter 159
Chapter 159:
“I have to go to the office. Meetings,” he sighed, without moving an inch.
“Go. Make money,” she said, pressing her palm lightly against his chest.
He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back for dinner p>
He left thirty minutes later. Eliza stood in the middle of her apartment, feeling light. Happy.
Sterling Club Group Chat
Zane: You slept there? Did you seal the deal?
Dallas: We talked.
Tyler: You? Talked? About feelings? Are you dying?
Zane: Oh my god. He used the Sad Boy tactic. You manipulative genius.
Dallas: It wasn’t a tactic. It was the truth.
Back in the apartment, Eliza was packing for a weekend trip with Bella to a cabin upstate — a plan they had made weeks ago.
𝘉𝘦 pа𝘳𝗍 𝘰𝘧 𝗼𝘶𝗋 сom𝗺𝘂𝘯𝗶𝘁у 𝗼𝗻
She opened her suitcase. It was already half packed.
Eliza frowned. Dallas must have done it while she was in the shower.
Inside, neatly arranged, were her allergy medications in three separate packs, a cashmere scarf she loved, a can of pepper spray, and a GPS tracker disguised as a keychain.
And a note, written on heavy cardstock: Have fun. Don’t talk to strangers. — D
She laughed out loud. He was overbearing, paranoid, and entirely too controlling. But she loved it. She loved that someone cared enough to pack pepper spray.
She zipped the bag. She felt ready for the world.
Downstairs, the Ghost was waiting at the curb.
She climbed in. “Sentinel, take me to Bella’s p>
“Route calculated. Drive safely, Eliza p>
She pulled out into traffic and let the city open up around her.
Down the street, a dark sedan eased away from the curb.
Anson Hyde sat behind the wheel. His eyes were bloodshot, ringed with deep shadows. The interior of the car was littered with fast-food wrappers and empty coffee cups. He watched the white convertible until it disappeared around the corner.
“She looks happy,” he muttered, his knuckles whitening around the steering wheel. “Too happy p>
He started the engine.
She can’t be happy without me.
The shout shattered the delicate silence of the studio.
Eliza’s hand jerked. The fine brush she had been using to apply gold leaf to a nineteenth-century porcelain vase slipped, leaving a jagged, glittering smear across the pristine white glaze.
“Damn it,” Eliza whispered, her stomach dropping. She set the brush down carefully, her fingers trembling. She didn’t look up. “Bella, rule number one: do not scream when I am holding gold leaf p>
Bella Rose didn’t care about the gold leaf. She was practically vibrating, waving her tablet in the air as she swept into Eliza’s workspace. “Forget the vase. Look at this. The internet is broken p>
Eliza sighed and reached for a rag to blot the mistake before the adhesive could set. “Did a Kardashian buy an island? I’m busy p>
“Better. The Ice Prince,” Bella said, breathless. “Dallas Koch. The rumors are confirmed p>
Eliza went still. The rag stopped moving. The air in the room seemed to thin, the weight of those words displacing everything else. She forced her lungs to expand and kept her voice even.