Chapter 3 - The Predator’s Smile
The silence in the ballroom was absolute. You could have heard a pin drop on the thick Persian rugs near the entrance. Every eye was locked on Julian Vance, whose expression had hardened back into a mask of pure, unadulterated ice.
Damian swallowed hard, his throat dry. He forced a trembling, diplomatic smile, desperate to salvage his fragile ego.
“Ah, Mr. Vance,” Damian began again, his voice cracking slightly. “I don't think you’ve had the pleasure. I’m Damian Cross, and this is Victoria Langford, heiress to—”
“I know who you are, Mr. Cross,” Julian interrupted. His voice was dangerously soft, slicing through the air like a razor blade. “An over-leveraged junior analyst at Sterling North who spends his evenings throwing drinks on working women to compensate for an insecure soul.”
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Victoria flushed bright red, taking an involuntary half-step back from Damian.
Damian’s face drained of all color. “Sir, there’s a misunderstanding—it was just a little accident, a slip of the hand—”
“A slip of the hand,” Julian repeated, stepping closer to Damian until the younger man was forced to lean back. “Interesting choice of words. I wonder if Sterling North’s compliance committee will view your public harassment of venue staff as a simple slip of the hand when I pull our firm’s thirty-million-dollar account from your portfolio tomorrow morning.”
Damian’s jaw dropped. Sterling North’s account with Vance Holdings was the crown jewel of their portfolio—the very account Damian had bragged about landing to secure his promotion and cement his place in high society.
“Mr. Vance—please!” Damian choked out, panic flooding his voice. “You can’t—that’s a multi-million-dollar portfolio—!”
“I can do whatever I choose, Mr. Cross,” Julian said calmly, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. “And right now, I choose to protect my fiancée.”
The word hung in the air like a thunderclap.
Fiancée.
Ava gasped, her head snapping up to stare at Julian in sheer disbelief. Victoria gasped aloud, her hand flying to her mouth. Around them, the crowd broke into a stunned murmur of absolute shock.
Julian didn't blink. He reached out, his long fingers gently sliding around Ava’s waist, pulling her flush against his side with effortless possession. He looked down at her, his dark eyes softening completely, a faint, genuine smile touching the corners of his mouth.
“Are you alright, my love?” Julian asked softly, loud enough for the front rows to hear.
Ava’s mind raced. Fiancée? She had never met Julian Vance in her life—at least, not formally. She had crossed paths with him once or twice weeks ago when he toured the hotel for a private summit, but they had never exchanged more than a polite nod.
Yet, looking into his eyes, she saw no hesitation. Only absolute conviction.
She swallowed hard, playing along with a courage she didn't know she possessed. She lifted her chin, letting the warmth of his jacket settle over her shoulders.
“I am now,” Ava answered steadily.
Julian turned his gaze back to Damian, who looked like he was about to faint.
“You see,” Julian continued, his voice ringing with cold authority across the hall, “Miss Knox was gracious enough to spend four years building you up from nothing, financing your education, and bleeding herself dry so you could wear that rented tuxedo tonight. And how do you repay her? By laughing at her.”
Julian stepped forward, forcing Damian to stumble backward into a display table, sending crystal flutes crashing to the floor.
“Listen to me very carefully, Damian,” Julian whispered, though every word echoed in the dead silence. “If you, or the woman hanging onto your arm, ever look in Ava’s direction again—if you even mention her name—I will dismantle your career, strip your assets, and ensure you never work in this city again. Do we understand each other?”
Damian nodded frantically, tears of sheer terror pricking his eyes. He couldn't speak.
May you like
Julian dismissed him with a flick of his hand as if swatting away an annoying fly. Then, he turned his full, undivided attention back to Ava.
“Come,” Julian said gently, resting a hand on the small of her back. “Let’s get you out of here.”
