Chapter 706
Color crept up her face, her pulse quickened, and she struggled to stay composed. She wondered if the earlier awkwardness had triggered this feeling.
Meanwhile, at the Hubbard Group, Elliott was deeply focused on a collaboration document in his office, occasionally pinching his brows together in thought. Sunlight filtered through the towering panes, casting him in a sculpted, almost marble light.
A notification buzzed from his phone, and he lifted it absentmindedly, his forehead faintly creased. Upon unlocking it, he found a message from Eloise asking if he’d be interested in a murder mystery game.
It was a type of event he’d never tried before and had little curiosity about. He nonchalantly tapped out a response, citing work pressure as his excuse to decline Eloise’s offer.
Just before hitting send, another message from Eloise popped up. It casually mentioned that Christina and Chloe were attending.
Chloe’s name faded from his mind entirely—his focus zeroed in on Christina alone. The instant he pictured her being there, his heartbeat ticked faster.
Grateful he hadn’t sent the decline yet, Elliott quickly erased what he had written. A slow, ridiculous grin formed across his lips, which he didn’t bother to conceal.
Though inwardly thrilled and delighted, Elliott responded with just one word to preserve his calm front: “Okay.” He was afraid that saying too much might make his feelings for Christina obvious.
After sending the reply, Elliott realized he hadn’t asked for the venue or the time. He paused, trying to phrase a casual question that wouldn’t sound overeager.
Just as he erased his response and started drafting another, one more message from Eloise landed. It held the very details he was wondering about—the location and time.
Elliott beamed at the message, looking slightly silly. He resembled a boy experiencing first love.
Moments later, a text arrived from Eloise, and upon reading it, Elliott’s eyes widened—he almost fumbled and dropped the phone from his grip.
Eloise asked Elliott why he kept typing and erasing his message over and over, and whether he was simply too giddy to figure out what to say. She also asked if he had a thing for Christina.
Elliott’s brows drew together ever so slightly. Was it really that obvious—was his affection written all over his face?
Almost as if Eloise could sense his hesitation through the screen, she fired off another message, saying that real love couldn’t be hidden in someone’s eyes. Eyes were the windows to the soul; they always gave a person away. Whenever he looked at Christina, his eyes practically glowed, and the happiness tucked inside him spilled out without warning.
Eloise added that, from where she stood, not only did Elliott’s so-called casual glances toward Christina betray his feelings, but Dylan was no better. Even though the two of them tried to play it cool, anyone paying attention could pick up on the strange energy.
At this point, Elliott didn’t bother holding back. He came clean, plain and simple. He admitted he had feelings for Christina, though at first it had been just admiration—nothing more. Christina was unlike anyone he’d ever known. In his eyes, she was the most extraordinary woman he’d ever met.