Chapter 4
Chapter 4:
The air inside the jewelry store was perfumed and chilled to a temperature that kept the clientele alert and the diamonds sparkling.
The store manager — a man in a suit so expensive it hummed with tailored arrogance — bowed slightly as they entered.
“Ms. Solomon,” he said. “Please, follow me to the VIP suite p>
He led them past glass cases filled with jewels that could have fed a small country, then into a private room at the back enclosed by frosted glass walls. A tray of sparkling water was already waiting.
“Our client instructed us to show you the investment collection,” the manager said, clasping his hands.
Azalea choked on her water. She coughed, setting the glass down hard. “Investment? Who is buying p>
Eliza froze. Dallas moved fast. Too fast.
𝖰u𝘢𝗹і𝘵𝘺 trаո𝘀𝗅𝗮tіоոs 𝗼n gа𝗅ո𝗼𝘃е𝘭𝗌.co𝗆
“It’s portfolio diversification,” Eliza said, grasping at the first thing that came to mind. “Diamonds hold value p>
Azalea looked skeptical. “Since when do you care about investment portfolios p>
“Since I decided to stop being poor,” Eliza snapped, a little too sharply.
Azalea shrugged, already distracted by a massive five-carat emerald-cut diamond resting on a velvet pillow. “Fair enough p>
Eliza picked up a ring from the tray — a vintage setting, platinum with a solitaire diamond — and slid it onto her finger.
It fit perfectly.
Of course it did. Just like the clothes.
The bell at the front entrance chimed. Not a polite ding, but a jarring clatter caused by the door being thrown open with force.
Voices rose at the front desk.
“Sir, you cannot go back there p>
“Get out of my way p>
Eliza’s blood ran cold. She knew that voice.
She turned just as the frosted glass door to the VIP room was shoved open.
Anson stood in the doorway. He looked disheveled — tie crooked, hair messy, eyes wild. He spotted Eliza instantly and stormed across the room, ignoring the manager, ignoring Azalea.
“That platinum band looks cheap, Eliza,” Anson said, his voice low and cutting. “Is that the best your new benefactor could afford p>
He didn’t reach for her. He reached past her, picking up a grotesquely large diamond necklace from the velvet tray and dangling it in front of her face.
“This is what you’re worth. Not that pathetic little shackle. Come home. I’ll buy you ten of these p>
“She’s not for sale, Anson,” Eliza said. Her voice shook, but her chin stayed up. She closed her left hand into a fist, the simple band pressing into her palm.
“Not for sale?” Anson laughed, a dark and humorless sound. “Everything about you is for sale. I control your trust fund. Your entire life is funded by my signature. I can cut you off without a penny p>
“Not anymore,” a calm, icy voice said from the doorway.
Everyone turned.
Dallas’s senior lawyer, Mr. Sterling, stood there flanked by two security guards, a tablet held in front of him.
“As of nine-fifteen this morning, upon the official execution of her new legal status change, all assets within the Solomon Trust have been transferred to Ms. Solomon’s independent control,” Mr. Sterling announced, his voice carrying cleanly through the silent room. “You no longer hold signing authority, Mr. Hyde. In fact, you are in breach of fiduciary duty for your past expenditures p>
Anson’s face drained from an arrogant flush to a ghostly white. His primary weapon had just been vaporized.
“I’ll find out who’s backing her,” he hissed, dropping the necklace back onto the tray with a clatter. “And I’ll ruin him. I will bankrupt him and leave him in the gutter. And then you’ll come crawling back p>
He spun on his heel and stormed out.
Eliza stood very still as the adrenaline began to ebb, leaving her knees hollow and weak.
The store manager stepped forward, bowing slightly toward Mr. Sterling. “Mr. Hyde is banned from all our properties, effective immediately p>
Eliza stared at the empty doorway.
Anson was going to try to ruin her husband. He was going to try to ruin Dallas Koch.
A laugh threatened to rise in her throat — hysterical, terrified, barely contained. Anson had no idea. He was about to kick a steel wall and break his own foot.