Chapter 221

The silence in the Carter foyer stretched thin, sharp enough to cut. Enric Carter looked between them with a furrowed brow. The silence that followed Elena’s “no” could have been carved through steel.

Ryan’s gaze didn’t leave her.

Enric let out a laugh. “Well, which one is it?”

Elena turned toward her father. “I mean we’ve seen each other around. I think. I mean, I might’ve seen him at some event.”

Ryan didn’t look away from her. “You could say that.”

Her father’s brow furrowed. “You never mentioned that.”

“It wasn’t memorable,” she lied.

Ryan’s eyes darkened. Liar.

“Ha, well, you’ll have to forgive my daughter,” Enric said. “She’s always had a flair for dramatics. Must be from her mother.”

Elena’s hand trembled slightly as she pulled it away from Ryan’s grip. He let go, too slowly, fingers grazing the inside of her wrist deliberately like a warning.

Enric clapped a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “I hope you made a good impression on her. She doesn’t usually stick around for any of the suits I bring home.”

Ryan smiled tightly. “She definitely made an impression.”

Elena’s stomach twisted.

Her father motioned toward the sitting room. “Come, let’s have a drink before dinner.”

“I’d like that.”

Ryan walked ahead, his shoulders broad and stiff, and Elena followed, trying not to visibly shake.

Inside the lavish sitting room, the scent of aged leather and wood polish filled the space. Enric poured scotch into two glasses and handed one to Ryan, one to Elena. They sat, Ryan beside Enric, Elena across the room. She kept her knees together, her back too straight, her hands locked in her lap. Ryan lounged back in his chair like a man who owned the room.

Her father launched into work talk. Numbers. Deadlines. Forecasts. But all Elena could hear was her own pulse in her ears.

Eventually, Enric’s phone rang. “Shit. Give me a sec. I’ve gotta take this, it’s Frankfurt.”

“Where’s the restroom?” Ryan asked.

“Down the hall,” Enric was about to walk out. “Elena will show you.”

They walked in silence until they reached the far end of the hall. The moment they rounded the corner, out of view, Ryan grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her back against the nearest wall.

Elena gasped as her back hit the smooth surface. “Ryan…”

His hand curled around her throat, not tight, just enough to hold her there. “Don’t,” he growled, low and dark. “Don’t you fucking say my name like that.”

His body pressed close, so close she could feel the heat of him, the tension vibrating off every muscle. He stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time, really seeing her.

“You lied to me that night,” he whispered, his voice dangerous with restraint.

She stared up at him, chest heaving.

“Tell me the truth,” he said, his voice like thunder low and ready to break. “How old are you? 27 or….”

Her lips trembled. “Ryan, I….”

His grip tightened slightly. “How old are you, Elena?”

She tried to breathe, but the air caught in her throat. The tears stung her eyes before she could stop them.

“Seventeen,” she whispered. “But I turn eighteen in a couple of months.”

The words hung there.

Ryan stepped back like she’d burned him. His hand dropped from her throat as he stared at her like she was poison. His jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might shatter.

“Seventeen? You’re a fucking child,” he said, voice raw. “Jesus Christ!”

“I’m not…” she started.

“Don’t,” he snapped, turning away. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

She reached for him, instinctively. “Ryan, please…”

“You lied to me,” he barked. “You looked me in the eyes and said you were twenty-seven.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she cried.

“That makes it better?” he laughed, cold and bitter. “I could’ve gone to jail.”

“I didn’t mean for it to go that far….”

“But it did, Elena.” His voice dropped, dangerously quiet. “It did. And now I find out you’re the daughter of my business partner? Are you fucking kidding me?”

She took a step toward him. “I didn’t know who you were either.”

He turned back to her, eyes wild. “Does your father know where you were that night? That you were at Club Noire? With me?”

“No,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “God! No.” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t plan for it to happen. I didn’t know you were… you.”

“Don’t make this about me,” he growled. “You hunted me down. You flirted. You climbed into my lap like you knew what you were doing.”

“I did know,” she shot back, voice rising. “I’ve known exactly what I want since the second I saw you.”

Ryan’s eyes blazed. “You don’t even know who you are yet.”

“I know. I’m not a child.”

“You’re seventeen,” he spat. “That makes you a child in every state, Elena. Especially to someone like me.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “So that’s it? You’re just going to walk away like none of it happened?”