Eloise stormed through the hallway, her heels clacking angrily across the marble floor, anger seething through her veins. She could feel her heart pounding so hard against her chest. “ Thought you bailed on me.” She jumped back with a gasp. Startled. He had suddenly appeared from the corner. “ What are you doing here?” She glared up, fire blazing in her eyes, “ Why else? I was looking for you,” “ I'm not lost,” she said and began walking away, not wanting to spend even a second in his presence. Antonio smiled as he grabbed her wrist before she could walk further away, pulling her back but was met with a deadly glare. ‘Wow, it's been a while since I received this look,’ he said in his mind. “ You look pissed,” he muttered, still holding her wrist. With gritted teeth, she answered, “ Let go of my hand.” He didn't budge. He just stood there, staring at her face. “ Did you not hear me?” “ Why are you angry?” “ Are you asking me? Like seriously?” She eyed him
Brenda leaned into Antonio, looking up to his clinically detached face. “ You used to love it when I showed unannounced,” she purred, “ Now you barely look at me.” Antonio’s jaw flexed as he took a step back. His gaze dropped to her hand, still lingering on his arm. “ Don't touch me like that again.” ‘Oh yes. He doesn't like being touched, but not always in this setting.’ She thought to herself as she blinked, a sly smile playing on her lips. “ Oh, come on, Antonio. Don't act like you don't miss us.” He looked down on her, eyes dark and unreadable. He pulled his arm away and not gently. “ There's no us,” he said, voice low, sharp like a blade. “ There never was — not in the way you keep pretending.” Her smile faltered, but she straightened. “ So you're telling me you've suddenly grown a conscience? That the cold-hearted Antonio is now someone's… loyal man?” His lips curled into a mirthless smirk. “If you ever pull that stunt again, flirting with me in public, dis
| Italy—dinner night continued | She didn’t realize it yet, but tonight wasn’t just about being a date, or a business deal. He knew Mr. Whitetalker would be here, he smirked when he saw him walk up to her, glad everything was going as planned without him having to execute his plan B. He wanted Whitetalker to see the need for her, to see she's a force, to get back the board members, and Eloise…didn't disappoint. She made his plan work out perfectly well. Antonio's eyes dilated as she smiled at him, his heart skipping so hard and racing when she pulled back with a shy smile. “ Is that you complimenting me?” She mouthed, still smiling, “Never thought the almighty Antonio would commend me without making me feel like killing him already.” A chuckle escaped his lips before he could act unfazed. “ I don't want you having too much murderous intent towards me,” “ Then don't push me,” she said, returning the same smirk he gave her. For more than a second, they stood still, st
| Italy —-Dinner party| Antonio’s breath caught. In a room filled with power, elegance, and tailored arrogance, only one person commanded his attention, and it wasn’t the billionaire standing beside him. It was her. Eloise. Her entrance was a quiet explosion. The black silk gown draped her like sin itself, flawless curves, a thigh-high slit that threatened sanity, and crystals that shimmered like stars had chosen only her to wear them. Her beauty was effortless yet arresting. Emerald eyes with full lips glossed in a muted rose, and skin that seemed to glow from within. Her delicate features are like art brought to life. She moved with effortless grace, yet radiated a whispered power: get too close, and you’ll burn. He couldn’t look away. Unaware of his stare, Eloise's eyes swept across the private club. The scent of expensive colognes, the clinking of crystal glasses, the velvet air of old money and high stakes, she hadn’t realized how much she missed this world until she was
He hadn't expected the head to come in a designer box. But Antonio always liked theatrics. Seated at the corner of a private club, a place where power brokers, corrupt elites, and old money figures conduct business far from the prying eyes—is Shawn. He sat across from the man, tight-lipped, watching his words sink deeper into him, while his head replayed the head sent to him. Antonio had killed his assassin. Sent him the head to let him know who has the power. Even though the assassin was a known sex offender, it still made his blood boil. He clenched his fist against his lap. Antonio seems to have forgotten, that he isn't a man to be underestimated. The room was a partially enclosed VIP section, with dim lighting painting the room in gold and shadows. The air smelled of rich cigars, aged whiskey, ambition, and Vale’s hesitation. “ The only thing I could think of right now, is probably to sabotage his business deals, or perhaps, hijack it from him, or probably…,” Vale exhaled
She couldn't stare longer. Eloise never thought she could feel like she was drowning when she's obviously not in the ocean or pool, but even when she looked away, his eyes were like magnets pulling her back. She wants something as beautiful as those eyes to capture the image of her, only her. ‘ No,’ her heart skipped, and she quickly looked away, but the closeness, the heat, was not helping. ‘ What's he doing?’ she asked in her mind, looking back into his eyes again. They bore into her, towering in a perfect, terrifying silence. He didn't speak, rather, he stepped even closer, causing her breath to hitch, and her heart started racing as the space shrank, leaving barely a sliver of air between them. Eloise tried to move away from the heated space but his arms caged her in, one hand resting on the wall beside her head, the other at the side of her shoulder. Her lashes fluttered as she kept feeling his hot breath against her face. She couldn't move, the more she moved, the closer