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Chapter 16: Comparison
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2024-10-06 06:00:13I sat near the fire, tracing the curve of an empty wine glass with the fingers of my right hand as I glanced over at my grandmother, Eleanor. Her eyes had always been warm and bright, but I could see a reserve growing in them now, and I didn't need it today.
"How about Nicolai's invitation?" she whispered. "Are you ready for that, my dear?" The voice was gentle but a steady reminder of who I once was, like it seemed to come from her lips, but rather from some place deeper.
A smile spread over my face, but deep within me was a mile runner always setting his step according to the plan. "I'm thinking and realized that I've been ready for a long time, Grandma. Gideon won't know what hit him." I let the glass sit on the table. Standing up to give her a peck on the cheek ended that harsh line of thought for me. Her hand had reached out to gently squeeze mine into reality in this rare moment of softness.
"Just remember," she wh
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I paused, letting the tension simmer only for just a moment before answering. Nicolai's voice was rich with anticipation, a hint of smugness already present as if he knew my answer. He knew what showing up with me at Gideon's party would meanwhat kind of message it would send to Gideon and everyone else in that room."Yes, Nicolai," I said, dripping with seductive confidence. "I'll be your date to the party."I could almost hear his grin through the phone, satisfaction radiating from him. "Amethyst, you've made me a very happy man," he said, his voice full of delight. "It's going to be a night neither of us will forget. I'll have my team send the details to you shortly."The call ended, leaving Nicolai practically brimming with excitement. For me, though, this wasn't about going to some bash-it was a tactical step-a chess move. Nicolai would be my human shield, my human asset, but the real prize was what I would do to Gideon. Witnessing me there, arm-in-arm with the man who outclasses
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And as the ink met the paper, sealing my fate and cementing my life's work, I slumped back in my seat, staring at Mr. Davenport's hands as they shook ever so slightly as he placed the pen on the desktop. His gaze flicked toward me, caught somewhere between admiration and submission, a little as if he couldn't quite believe how easily he had been manipulated into signing this contract. A slow, satisfied smile crept across my lips. This was power-real power."Well, I have to hand it to you, Ms. Amadeus," Davenport said, his voice far softer now, almost a whisper. "You know just how to tame a man."I chuckled softly, the sound resonating like velvet against the walls of the room. Yes, I knew very well how true those words were."Oh, Mr. Davenport," I teased, "it's not about taming. It's about showing you what you really want-even if you didn't know it yet."He blinked, ensnared in the web I'd woven so very carefully, and for a moment, I thought he might say more. But then, something shif
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"Yes," I said finally, my voice strong and commanding. "Gideon Grayson is my ex-husband. Emphasis on ex." I leaned forward by just a little, my eyes sharp as needles. "And that's all he'll ever be. A mistake I left behind, just like the old me."Nicolai angled an eyebrow up, his relaxed posture just a little at odds with the interest simmering in his eyes. "Not exactly the type of response I was expecting," he said with an easy flow, though I could feel the admiration lurking beneath his words. "I thought there was still some unresolved business between you two.".I laughed. Short and cold. "unfinished business? With him? " I said, letting a deadly edge creep into my voice. "He tried to break me. But he failed. " A smile danced at the edges of my lips. "I'm here for my reasons, not his. If I attend that party, it's because I want to go. He's nothing to me."Is that why you're going? To prove something? " Nicolai's voice was still questioning, his tone sliding with the hint of curiosit
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"Of course," Victoria said confidently. "I found the perfect fashion designer for you. Ms. Amari is renowned in her line of work—her dresses always turn heads, and she's well-connected in high society. She'll make sure that no one can take their eyes off you at Grayson's party.""Good," I said, sitting down in my chair and tapping my fingers on the desk. This was where it all came together in my plan, and nothing could be more glorious than everything. "And I don't have the time to go to her studio or run errands. I need her to come to me."There was a pause on the other end. "To your house? I'm not sure if—""She will come to my house," I interrupted firmly, leaving no room to negotiate for or against. "I'll pay whatever it takes. If she's as talented as you say, she'll know how to deliver exactly what I need without making me compromise my time. I'm not going to waste a single second driving to some designer's office when I could be preparing for far more important matters. I expect
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And then my breath catches in my throat. "What?" I barely whispered the word. The words seemed to hang there like a threat, sharp-edged and pointing the way into the unknown.Lucas's face smoothed into an emotion I couldn't find a label for, but more like sorrow and bitterness. He straightened up again to let the heaviness of his revelation settle in before continuing on. “Yes. My mom, Sarah died, because of your mom. She committed suicide and it was not an accident,”I stepped back, my heart pounding in disbelief. My whole life, my mother was nothing more than a mystery—a ghost I never knew, defined by the fragments Eleanor had shared. Now, to hear she had been responsible for someone's death? It couldn't be right.That was Eleanor, silent, her composure broken. For the first time what felt like a lifetime, she appeared fragile, fragile to the point where it was as if the truth Lucas introduced to the room would snap everything."Why would my mom be involved in something like that?"
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The tension in my chest was suffocating as I stared at the bartender, the question ringing in my ears: Was it worth fighting for?My jaw clenched, the stinging ache of regret and desire coiling deep inside me. I took a deep, shaky breath and looked at the amber liquid in my glass, the fire of the whiskey biting at my throat, numbing the chaos in my mind.Amethyst. Her name brought an ache that felt like it would crack my chest open. She deserved so much better than me. And yet, the thought of losing her forever was unbearable.I knew it was stupid, reckless even, but I couldn’t stop myself. I would fight for her, no matter how many times Nicolai pushed his way into her life, no matter how many times I screwed up. She was worth every battle, every scar. But I was running out of chances, out of time.“It’s worth fighting for,” I finally admitted, my voice barely more than a whisper, raw and vulnerable. “But I don’t know i
