Chapter 160

LORETTAFor three full seconds, I genuinely forgot how to breathe. Elion stood in the doorway like he had every right to walk into my carefully planned night of chaos.White shirt, same as he was wearing when he came back, except now there was no suit or tie. And he still looked breathtakingly good.His sleeves were rolled slightly up, exposing his forearms, and his dark hair looked like he'd run his fingers through it a few too many times.And oh, he was staring at me like this was the first time we were meeting each other. My heart did something stupid, something completely humiliating.It skipped first, then raced, and then apparently decided to forget every single thing I had told myself about not thinking of him. “Elion?” I called in a whisper A small breath escaped his lips, and his faint smile widened a smidge. “Hello, Rea.” Elion's deep voice felt like a velvet cloth being draped over my bodyI stared at him, then at Harlan, then at the two other men behind them. It took a mo

Chapter 161

LORETTAThe bathroom was much nicer than I expected.I glanced around as soon as I stepped inside, taking in the polished marble counters, the enormous mirror stretching across the wall, and the soft golden lights reflected against the spotless surfaces. It looked less like the bathroom of a private entertainment venue and more like something tucked inside a five-star hotel.For a second, I almost forgot why I had dragged Elion in here.Almost.The door clicked shut behind us, and the sound immediately seemed louder than it should have been.I turned toward him.He was standing a few feet away, his hands resting loosely at his sides, and the playful expression he'd worn outside was gone. His eyes were fixed on me with a seriousness that made my stomach twist.I suddenly became very aware of the fact that I had invited him here.Alone.After days of barely speaking to each other.I folded my arms, mostly because I needed something to do with them.“So...?” I asked, watching him careful

Chapter 162

LORETTAFor several seconds, neither of us moved.Elion remained on his knees before me, his hands resting loosely against his thighs while he looked up at me with an expression that made my pulse stumble. There was something almost unfair about seeing a man who commanded boardrooms, terrified investors, and made entire companies tremble looking at me like this.And he knew exactly what that did to me.The corner of his mouth lifted into a slow, wicked smile as his gaze travelled over my face. “Do you enjoy the sight of me on my knees for you, baby?” he asked, his voice low enough to send a shiver down my spine.I tried to maintain my composure, but the smile threatening my lips betrayed me. After a moment, I gave him a small nod, and the satisfaction that immediately appeared in his eyes made my stomach flutter.“I knew it,” he murmured, shifting slightly closer while keeping his gaze locked with mine. “You have no idea how much I like making you happy.”My fingers curled lightly ag

Chapter 163

ELIONThe moment I stepped out of the bathroom with Rea beside me, I knew everyone in the room knew.Nobody said anything. They wouldn't dare, not with the death glare I leveled at Michelle suddenly became very interested in rearranging the glasses on the table. Zara was staring intently at the decorations as though she had discovered some fascinating detail in the balloons. Holly picked up her phone and began scrolling through it with the exaggerated concentration of someone who had absolutely nothing to hide.Even Sean, who usually was the goofiest person I knew, suddenly found the floor fascinating. While Xavier tried to maintain neutrality I looked from one face to another, and the corner of my mouth twitched. They were terrible at pretending.Rea, on the other hand, had apparently decided she was going to walk back into the room as though she hadn't disappeared into a bathroom with me for the better part of the evening.Her cheeks were still slightly flushed from her orgasm, an

Chapter 164

ELIONFor the first time in weeks, the world wasn't on fire.Not completely, anyway.I stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, one hand tucked into my pants pocket while the other held a cup of coffee I hadn't touched in nearly twenty minutes. Far below me, the city continued moving as if nothing had happened.Cars crawled through the streets. People hurried along sidewalks. Buildings glittered beneath the afternoon sun.Normal.That was the word I kept coming back to.Normal.The markets had stabilized.The investors who had panicked when the first allegations against Elite Group exploded across the media were slowly settling down. Several of the institutions that had frozen their commitments had reopened discussions with our financial team, and the lender reviewing our credit facilities had stopped making demands that sounded suspiciously like threats.The headlines weren't disappearing completely, but they weren't multiplying anymore either.The chaos had stopped.For n

Chapter 165

LORETTAI was still thinking about the cake.Honestly, I wasn't sure how something as simple as cake had managed to become one of the most exciting parts of my wedding preparations, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.Maybe it was because everything was finally starting to feel real.The cake tasting this afternoon had left me ridiculously excitedI'd spent far too long arguing over flavors, fillings, frosting, and whether we needed one cake or several smaller ones because having too many options was a perfectly reasonable problem to have when you were getting married.Elion, of course, had looked at me like I'd lost my mind. But I caught the smile he was trying to hide when I got excited over every new flavor.And now, hours later, I was still thinking about it.Two days. In two days, I would be standing beside Elion in my beautiful wedding dress, looking at the man I'd once believed I could never love.My husband.The thought alone made something warm flutter inside my chest. Eli