Chapter 59
[ 462 words ]
Chapter 59:
Caroline’s jaw dropped.
It wasn’t a store. It was a palatial, private couture studio. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceilings. Velvet sofas were arranged around a towering champagne pyramid. Rows of exquisite, hand-sewn gowns were suspended in the air, protected by sheer dust covers.
Linda guided them to the VIP lounge area. Two assistants instantly appeared, placing steaming cups of Darjeeling tea on the glass table.
Jarrod sat down on the velvet sofa. He crossed his long legs.
“I need a gown,” Jarrod told Linda, his tone strictly business. “The most perfect piece you have in this building.”
Caroline sat rigidly beside him. She leaned close to his shoulder.
“Jarrod, what is this?” she hissed, her voice tight with panic. “Why do I need a gown?”
Jarrod turned his head. His gray eyes locked onto hers.
“This Saturday is the Romero family’s centennial gala, combined with my grandfather’s eightieth birthday,” Jarrod said. His voice was calm, but it carried the weight of a judge reading a sentence. “You are going to attend as my legal wife.”
Caroline stopped breathing.
Her hand jerked. The delicate teacup rattled violently against the saucer, spilling hot amber liquid onto the glass table.
𝖠𝘥𝗱𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗶𝘃𝗲 ո𝘰𝘃е𝘭ѕ о𝗇 𝗴a𝗅𝗻𝘰𝘷𝗲l𝗌.c𝘰𝘮
“No,” Caroline gasped, her eyes wide with absolute terror. “No, Jarrod. That wasn’t the deal. We agreed this was just a secret! If I show up at an event like that, everyone will know we are married, and my normal life will be completely ruined!”
Her survival instincts were screaming. Being thrust into the public eye meant painting a giant target on her back.
Jarrod reached out and grabbed her trembling hand. He squeezed her fingers hard.
“That assassin is still in the city,” Jarrod whispered, his voice dropping to a low, fierce, and ruthless register. “Drawing him out requires bait.”
He leaned closer, his eyes burning into hers.
“And right now, it is time for everyone in this city to know exactly what happens if they touch my wife,” he stated, his tone leaving absolutely no room for argument.
Caroline stared into Jarrod’s eyes. The absolute, terrifying certainty in his gaze told her that fighting him on this was useless.
She swallowed the lump of panic in her throat and gave a stiff, jerky nod.
Linda Powell, sensing the heavy tension, clapped her hands together with a bright, professional smile.
“Right this way, Mrs. Romero,” Linda said smoothly.
Caroline stood up like a condemned prisoner. She followed Linda toward a massive fitting room that was larger than her entire apartment.
Two assistants wheeled in a rack of gowns. They had already been pre-selected based on Caroline’s exact measurements.
Behind the heavy velvet curtain, Caroline stripped off her cheap, wrinkled scrubs.
The assistants carefully lifted a gown off the rack. It was a strapless masterpiece. The fabric was a deep, midnight blue that faded into a sheer, starry black at the hem.
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