Chapter 7

ELEANOR'S POV

I peeled an orange slowly, letting the rind curl away in one piece, and pulled a segment free. I picked off the white threads carefully, and then I put it in my mouth.

"Tsk."

My brows furrowed. "Oranges this time of year are terrible."

I tossed the remaining fruit in the trash.

"Yeah, yeah, it's still more than a month before oranges are actually good!" Callum was at my side in an instant, grinning and nodding. "I'll have every orange in this place thrown out tonight!"

"Is it bad?" Finn Archer, who had been sitting nearby, looked down at the orange on the table. "I just ate one and it was pretty good..."

"It tastes awful to me too."

Theo Ward, eyes half-lidded behind his gold-rimmed glasses, stared at him for a moment. Then he picked up the remaining oranges in front of him and dumped them in the trash.

"Hey. Theo. You..."

Finn's round eyes grew rounder. His baby face went blank with confusion. He was about to say something more when he saw me get to my feet.

"You guys keep having fun. I'm going to step out for some air."

My ponytail swung In the low light of the lounge. I pressed my lips together, letting my gaze sweep across Dominic's darkening face. and I walked straight for the door without pausing.

"Miss Ashmoor, could you stay until I finish my song before you go?"

Vivian tilted her head at me, the sweet smile still fixed in place.

"You're in such a hurry to leave. Do you think my singing will be bad?" She bit her lip and let her eyes settle on Dominic. She swayed shyly. "I think I'm pretty good, actually. Otherwise Dom wouldn't have written the lyrics and the music for me. Would you do me the favor of staying?"

"No."

My voice was clear, my lips red, my eyes full of mockery as I looked back at her.

"That orange was so bad I'm afraid I'll throw up in here."

I opened the door and walked out.

Vivian's perfect smile froze. She hadn't expected me to refuse so simply. Her fingers tightened around the microphone.

"Ellie..."

Dominic was already on his feet, his face dark. He chased after me toward the door.

"Dom!"

The microphone let out a shriek as Vivian took two quick steps forward.

His hand stopped on the doorknob. His tall frame froze at the sound of her anxious voice.

She blinked her reddening eyes at his back and spoke cautiously, like a frightened animal. "Dom, could you come and sing the harmony with me? The equipment here isn't complete. I'm afraid I won't sound good and I'll embarrass you..."

The longer she talked, the softer her voice got, and the redder her eyes became.

Through the frosted glass, I saw his tall silhouette stop at the door. He stood there like a man arguing with himself.

Then his shadow turned away from me and went back toward the stage.

I hadn't gone far. I stopped in the hallway, where I could still hear everything. because I had never learned how to stop listening.

"Thank you, Dom!" Vivian's voice rang bright and happy, the voice of a woman whose eyes had been red a moment ago and were not red now. I heard the click of a second microphone being pressed into his hand.

"Dom, do you really not care about Ellie?" Callum's voice was incredulous.

"She's too proud. She needs to cool off."

There was no emotion on Dominic's face, I imagined. "It's rare for Vivi to be in a good mood. I'll spend some time with her tonight."

"..." I could feel Callum's silence from the hallway.

"I'm going out for a cigarette," Theo said abruptly, and I heard a chair scrape as he stood and walked to the door.

Something hit the floor and rolled, a beer bottle, and then came the crack of a shoe kicking it hard into the wall. Dominic was irritated, and I knew he would never tell anyone why.

…

I walked around outside for a while, then went to the restroom.

My original plan had been to hand over the gift and go home. But I didn't want to spoil anyone's mood. So I decided to kill some time in the restroom, play a couple of games on my phone, and leave once they'd all had their fun.

I played for nearly half an hour. Then I stretched my stiff neck, put the phone away, and decided to go back to the lounge. To say a quick goodbye, and head straight home.

"I already told you, I'm going to sink my claws into Dominic Thorne with everything I've got!"

I froze with my hand on the stall door.

I knew that voice.

Slowly, I drew my hand back. The bar reeked of spilled whiskey and cigarette smoke. and a hundred wolves crowded into one room, and my nose was still half-blocked from the fever. I had never been more grateful for any scent than I was for that stench. I turned my body away from the sink and sat back down on the toilet lid.

"Didn't you see the news today? The whole world knows Henry's father is Dominic Thorne."

Through the crack in the stall door, I watched Vivian set her phone on the sink and switch on the speaker. She took a compact from her bag and began to touch up her makeup in the mirror.

"I watched the video, Vivi. You're so clever. You knew exactly how to use public opinion to force Dominic to stand up and say he's Henry's father."

The voice on the other end belonged to Rhonda, her adoptive mother. I could hear the facemask in her voice, the slow, lazy stretch of a woman lying on a bed, her tone fawning.

"But those reporters were expensive. They cost me ten thousand dollars."

The hand with the powder puff paused. Disgust crossed Vivian's flawless face. She frowned at her reflection and dabbed carefully at a patch on her nose.

"I'll wire you twenty thousand in a minute. The extra ten is for your trouble."

"Oh, bless you! I always said Vivi is the most generous girl!" Rhonda's greedy delight bubbled through the speaker. "By the way, when are you going to announce your marriage to Dominic? Your father's going around telling everyone his son-in-law runs the Thorne Group. but nobody believes him. He can't wait for you to announce it so he can rub it in their faces?"

Vivian's long lashes dipped. She put away the powder and took out a tube of lipstick, running it across her lips.

"Tell Dad to keep his mouth shut. Dom doesn't want anyone to know about the marriage yet. The most important thing right now is to get pregnant. Don't let Dad ruin anything for me."

"Yes, yes, I understand. Come on, baby. Whatever you need from your mother, just ask."

Vivian's tone had gotten impatient, and Rhonda must have felt it. She finished her sentence wisely and hung up.

Vivian looked at the phone sitting on the sink with disgust in her eyes. She tucked the lipstick into her bag and turned for the door.

My phone rang.

It was the shrill default ringtone I had forgotten to silence. It cracked through the quiet restroom like a gunshot.

"Who's there?!"

Through the crack, I saw her hand clench around her makeup bag. Panic flickered across her face. She spun around, pale as chalk, and stared straight at the stall where the sound had come from.