Chapter 312
Victoria turned on her again. “Are you happy now? You’ve crippled him. Just like your husband.”
Dallas stepped in front of Eliza, shielding her with his body.
“We will pay for everything,” Dallas said. “The best rehab. The best specialists. As her husband, I will ensure he receives the best care.” He emphasized the word husband. It was a claim. A boundary.
Victoria laughed — a harsh, brittle sound. “You are no family of ours. Eliza belongs to us. She always has.”
Edward looked at Dallas. He studied the unyielding wall Dallas had built around Eliza.
“Mr. Koch,” Edward said quietly. “A word?”
Dallas hesitated, then nodded. He squeezed Eliza’s shoulder once before following Edward to the far corner of the room.
“If you want to help my son,” Edward said, “keep her away from him.”
“I can’t do that,” Dallas said. “She feels responsible.”
“She is responsible,” Edward said. “And Anson — you know how he is. This injury? He will wear it like a badge of honor. He will use it to chain her to him. If you love her, you won’t let that happen.”
“I won’t let him take her,” Dallas said.
“Then you better be prepared for a war,” Edward said. “Because Anson just gave up a leg for her. What are you willing to give up?”
Dallas looked back at Eliza, who was sitting alone, her head bowed.
Everything, he thought.
It was 3:00 AM when Anson woke up.
The pain hit him first — a living thing, gnawing at his leg, hot and sharp. He groaned, trying to shift, but his leg was immobilized in a heavy cast.
“Water,” he rasped.
A glass was held to his lips. He drank greedily.
When his vision cleared, he saw Cathey standing by the bed. Her eyes were red and puffy.
“Where are they?” Anson asked.
“Your parents went to the hotel,” Cathey whispered.
Anson looked at her. He saw the fear in her eyes.
“It was your mother, wasn’t it?” Anson said. His voice was weak, but the venom was there.
Cathey dropped the glass. It bounced on the linoleum, splashing water everywhere. “No — I —”
“Don’t lie to me,” Anson hissed. “Dosha. She tampered with the car. She thought she was being clever. Taking out the competition.”
“She didn’t know you would intervene!” Cathey sobbed. “She just wanted to scare Eliza!”
“Scare her?” Anson laughed, and it turned into a cough. “She tried to kill my property.”
He reached out and grabbed Cathey’s wrist, his grip surprisingly strong.
“Call her. Now.”
Cathey dialed with shaking fingers and put the phone on speaker.
“Anson?” Dosha’s voice was cautious.
“You stupid bitch,” Anson said pleasantly.
“I — I heard there was an accident,” Dosha stammered.
“Listen to me,” Anson said. “You are going to fix this. You are going to start a rumor. A leak. You are going to tell everyone that the sabotage was internal — that someone at Koch Industries was trying to kill Dallas, but they got the wrong car.”
“What?” Dosha asked.