Chapter 106
No.1
The footsteps stopped abruptly at the entrance of the dark corridor.
Preston Vance and Allena Mills stood side by side,frozen in place.
Three minutes earlier, Allena had noticed August's prolonged absence from the main hall. Paranoia had immediately set in. She excused herself,pretending she needed to use the restroom, and hurried toward the back. At the exact same time,Preston had walked toward the corridor to escape a group of overly aggressive investment bankers.
They had turned the corner at the exact moment August caught Elisa.
Because of the angle and the dim lighting, they did not see Elisa slip on the champagne. They did not see her initial panic.
No.2
From Preston's vantage point, the dim lighting obscured the violence of the encounter.He saw August pinning Elisa between his body and the dark marble wall. He saw Elisa's hands planted firmly against August's forearms. Because of the angle,Preston could not hear the venom in their whispers.
He only saw the extreme, undeniable physical proximity and the suffocating tension radiating between them.
Allena stood next to Preston. When she saw August holding Elisa, a wave of pure, acidic jealousy burned the lining of her stomach. Her long acrylic nails dug so hard into her palms they nearly broke the skin.①
But Allena was a predator of opportunity. She caught the look of guarded calculation on Preston's face out of the corner of her eye.
Her brain shifted gears instantly. She did not scream.She did not throw a tantrum.
No.3
Allena let out a sharp, trembling gasp. She slapped a hand over her mouth, and her eyes instantly filled with thick, welling tears.
"Mr. Vance," Allena whispered. Her voice was a masterpiece of broken, humiliated dignity. "I am so sorry you have to see this. Elisa...she just refuses to let August go."
Preston turned his head. He looked at Allena's tear-filled eyes. A wave of genuine, calculated sympathy washed over him. The lie provided a convenient,messy narrative for the physical entanglement he had just witnessed.
Allena let a single tear roll down her cheek. "She was fired months ago, but she holds this insane grudge. She constantly stalks us at events, forcing herself on him, trying to use her body to ruin our relationship and extort August for money. It's a nightmare."
The lie was flawless. It perfectly contextualized the visual evidence Preston had just witnessed. It didn't matter to Preston if she was a genius AI architect; getting caught in a desperate, physical confrontation with a former boss and his fiancée was the definition of a severe moral hazard. The logical loop closed in his mind, sealing Elisa's fate.
No.4
At that exact moment, Elisa executed her nerve strike, broke free, and marched down the hall.
As she approached the corner, she came face-to-face with Preston and Allena.
Elisa's footsteps slowed for a fraction of a second.She saw the fake tears on Allena's face. She saw the cold, judgmental fury in Preston's eyes.Her brilliant mind instantly calculated the optics of what they had just seen.
She didn't stop. She didn't flinch. She looked at Allena with a gaze so dead and empty it was like looking at a piece of trash on the sidewalk.
As she passed Preston, Elisa gave a slight,professional nod, intending to walk away with her dignity intact.
No.5
Preston physically took a half-step backward,pulling his arm away as if her proximity might infect him with a disease. He looked down his nose at her.
"Miss Wilder," Preston said, his voice dripping with absolute, freezing contempt. "I am officially retracting my invitation for lunch tomorrow. Vance Capital operates on strict ethical guidelines. We do not invest in individuals who bring this level of chaotic, personal toxicity into the professional sphere."
Elisa stopped walking.
She looked into Preston's eyes. She saw the absolute certainty of his misunderstanding.
A suffocating wwave of exhaustion hit her. She could not defend herself. The NDA Germaine held over her head legally gagged her. She could not scream that she was the legal wife, that she was the one being stalked and threatened. She was trapped in a cage of silence.①
No.6
Elisa's lips curved into a microscopic, mocking smile.
"Suit yourself, Mr. Vance," Elisa said, her voice a flat, emotionless hum. "I sincerely hope your financial investments yield better returns than your judgment of character."
She didn't wait for his reaction.She turned and walked into the restroom, letting the heavy wooden door swing shut, locking the toxic judgment outside.
August limped slightly as he walked up the corridor,shaking his hand to restore feeling. He saw Allena wiping her eyes and Preston's rigid posture. He frowned.
Allena immediately threw herself against August's chest.
No.7
"It's okay, honey," Allena cooed loudly, playing the role of the forgiving angel. "I know she ambushed you. I don't blame you at all."
Preston looked at August. He gave a firm,respectful nod.
"Mr. Chambers," Preston said, his tone shifting to one of camaraderie between men dealing with crazy women. "You have an incredibly gracious and loving fiancée. I highly suggest you protect her from that kind of harassment."
August heard the word fiancée. A sharp spike of irritation flared in his chest, but he looked at the closed restroom door. He swallowed the irritation and gave Preston a tight nod, accepting the false narrative.
Preston smiled, feeling a surge of protective goodwill toward Allena. It was a feeling that would heavily influence the auction that was about to begin.①