Chapter 7 - The New OrderThe ballroom was quiet again.
The wealthy patrons had fled through every available exit, leaving behind a battlefield of spilled champagne, broken glass, and shattered illusions.
Grant Mercer sat heavily on the edge of a velvet banquette, staring at Evelyn as if she were an alien life form.
“Four years,” Grant breathed, shaking his head. “You sat at that desk for four years... and I called you the librarian.”
Evelyn glanced down at Grant with a cool, amused smile. “You also stole three hundred dollars from the office stationery fund last month, Grant. I logged it under miscellaneous printer ink.”
Grant’s face turned bright red, and he wisely shut his mouth.
Dominic walked slowly toward Evelyn. The chaotic energy of the shootout had settled, leaving only the heavy, intense gravity between the two of them.
He stopped just inches away from her, towering over her in his tailored black suit, his dark eyes burning with a mixture of disbelief, respect, and a fierce, consuming hunger.
“You planned all of this,” Dominic said softly. “From the very first day you walked into my office.”
“I didn't plan for you to invite me to the Winter Table as a joke,” Evelyn corrected smoothly, her brown eyes flashing. “That was your own arrogance, Mr. Vale. I simply took advantage of the invitation.”
Dominic let out a low, rough laugh—a sound so rare that even Grant looked up in shock.
He reached out, his warm, calloused fingers gently cupping her jaw, tracing the line of her cheekbone.
“A joke,” Dominic murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “I am beginning to realize, Evelyn, that bringing you into my world was the most dangerous mistake I ever made.”
“Then you should have fired me when you had the chance,” she whispered, leaning slightly into his touch, her heart hammering against her ribs for the first time all evening.
Dominic’s thumb brushed across her lower lip.
“Fire you?” he smiled darkly, pulling her flush against his chest in front of the empty, glittering ballroom. “Evelyn... I’m promoting you.”
“To what?” she raised an eyebrow.
“To partner,” Dominic whispered against her ear, his voice rough and absolute. “And if you say no, I’ll lock every door in this building until you change your mind.”
May you like
Evelyn smiled—a real, genuine, breathtaking smile that reached all the way to her eyes.
“Check the spreadsheet for tomorrow morning, Dominic,” she murmured, slipping her hand into his. “I think you’ll find the numbers are entirely in our favor.”
