flash
Then Nathaniel said: “She doesn’t have to be mine for me to care about her, Victoria.” The warmth in his voice when he mentioned Lily was something Victoria Hale had never been able to summon for herself. She stood in the doorway of the library, her perfectly manicured nails pressing into the palm of her hand until her skin turned ghostly white. / Chapter 6 / 8

Chapter 6 - THE EXCLUSION

Victoria felt the world spinning around her. The air in the ballroom felt suffocating. Three hundred pair of eyes—the very people whose admiration she had spent her life cultivating—were staring at her with cold mockery and pity.

“Security,” Nathaniel called out calmly.

Four massive men in dark suits stepped forward from the perimeter of the room.

“Escort Miss Hale and her family off the property,” Nathaniel ordered. “If any of them step foot on Whitfield land again, have them arrested for trespassing.”

“Nathaniel, please!” Victoria sobbed, grabbing at his sleeve, her emerald gown twisting awkwardly as she was pulled back. “I love you! I was just jealous! I was scared you were slipping away from me! Please don’t destroy my family!”

“You destroyed yourself the moment you made a three-year-old child cry to feel powerful,” Nathaniel said, turning his back on her.

The security guards dragged Victoria Hale out of the ballroom, her expensive heels dragging along the floor, her frantic screams echoing down the marble hallway until the double doors swung shut.

The ballroom remained tense, the remaining guests unsure whether to stay or leave.

Nathaniel turned to face the crowd of elite socialites. He raised his champagne glass.

“The engagement is canceled,” Nathaniel announced in a booming, clear voice that left no room for doubt. “However, the birthday party continues. Anyone who cannot celebrate Lily Carter tonight is welcome to follow the Hales to the exit.”

Not a single person left. Within seconds, polite applause broke out, turning into a enthusiastic ovation. The string quartet struck up a lively, warm melody.

Nathaniel walked over to Elena, who was standing frozen, clutching Lily tightly. Tears were streaming down Elena’s cheeks—not of fear, but of an overwhelming, dizzying relief.

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I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against the linoleum floor.

I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against...

The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the freezing slate beneath my spine. The blinding white vortex of snow kicked up by the downdraft burned my eyes, but I forced my lids open, locking my gaze onto the amber visor of the rescue specialist dropping out of the sky.

The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the...

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking against the pristine hospital linoleum. He reached for the tray table, his fingers brushing the edge of the papers. His voice was low, coated in a practiced, corporate calm that made my stomach churn worse than the spiked blood pressure.

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking agai...

“Mr. Whitfield...” Elena stammered, her voice shaking. “You... you didn’t have to do that. Your reputation...”

“My reputation is fine, Elena,” Nathaniel said softly, reaching out to gently wipe a tear from her cheek. His hand lingered for a fraction of a second against her soft skin, sending a jolt of electricity through them both. “My heart, on the other hand, was dead until you and Lily moved into the cottage.”

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