Gloria's father watched the couple with obvious approval. After dinner, he and Lucas disappeared into his study.
When Lucas emerged thirty minutes later, he told Gloria he needed to head out. She walked him to the door, surprised by the twinge of disappointment she felt. They'd only just met, but she already didn't want him to leave. Still, she hesitated to say anything, worried about seeming too eager.
Lucas caught her expression. He smiled, pulling her closer and giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Tomorrow?" he said softly.
Her eyes lit up as she looked at him. His smile deepened as he hugged her once more before sliding into his car.
Gloria lingered until his car disappeared behind the gates before heading back inside.
Outside the estate, Lucas immediately spotted the luxury sedan lurking in the shadows. The tinted windows hid whoever sat inside, but he seemed unconcerned. He simply rotated the wooden beads on his wrist.
"Someone needs a hobby," he murmured.
Over the next month, Gloria and Lucas grew increasingly close, while Elijah— summoned home by a barrage of urgent calls-found himself drowning in crises.
Though Jenna was in custody, her family wreaked havoc at every opportunity. Elijah's mother, who'd never dealt with public scandal, collapsed after a particularly vicious confrontation with Jenna's relatives.
His father ended up in critical condition when Jenna's cousin deliberately ran his car off the road in a twisted bid for revenge.
Meanwhile, Phillips stock took a nosedive. One disaster after another kept Elijah scrambling. When he finally sorted through the wreckage and returned to London, another shock awaited him.
Gloria was engaged.
The elegant invitation crumpled in his fist. Decorative jewels snapped off, slicing into his palm. Blood seeped through, staining the cream-colored card.
Elijah didn't register the pain as he crushed the invitation into a ball.
How was this happening?
Gloria had once loved him so completely, even declaring she would never marry anyone else. How could she be engaged to another man?
Like someone discovering a treasured possession gone, his rage mixed with something deeper-something that felt dangerously like heartbreak. After a long moment with his eyes closed, he ordered his driver to turn around and head for the engagement venue.
The castle hosting the celebration was divided into two levels. The upper floor was reserved for family, while the lower level accommodated business associates.
Ironically, Elijah couldn't even get into the latter.
The security guard blocking his path visibly flinched at Elijah's glare but stood his ground.
"I'm sorry, sir. The hosts were very clear that you're not welcome."
Elijah stared at him before a bitter smile crossed his lips. "Right."
Snow fell heavily as he stood outside in his inadequate coat, staring up at the enormous windows on the second floor.
Under crystal chandeliers, Gloria floated across the floor in a white gown, Lucas's arm around her waist. Her movements were light, her smile genuine.
As the dance ended, they kissed beneath a shower of indoor fireworks.
The scene cut Elijah to the core.
Despite Gloria telling him repeatedly that she no longer loved him, he hadn't believed her. Since she'd come to live with him as a child, he'd been the center of her world.
He'd known this, of course, but with his heart set on Jenna, he'd never taken Gloria's feelings seriously.
Now his indifference had driven her into another man's arms, and he realized-far too late that he had fallen in love with her.
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