Chapter 3 - The Departure in GoldThe final note of the waltz faded into the high ceiling, leaving the ballroom in a stunned, breathless hush.
Leandro didn't release my hand. He tucked my arm securely through his, guiding me toward the grand double doors of the foyer.
Before we reached the exit, Blair Kensington stepped into our path, her face flushed with a mixture of desperate humiliation and bitter, spiteful rage.
"Mr. Vitali!" Blair choked out, her voice trembling as she clutched her silk clutch bag. "You... you can't be serious! This is an exclusive charity function! Clare is just an entry-level graphics assistant at my father's firm! She doesn't belong in your world!"
Leandro stopped dead in his tracks.
He didn't raise his voice. He slowly turned his storm-dark eyes onto Blair. The sheer, freezing temperature in his gaze made Blair stumble backward two steps, her heel catching against her dress hem.
"Your father's firm, Miss Kensington," Leandro spoke, his voice smooth and cold as a razor blade, "currently relies on a forty-million-dollar municipal concrete supply contract held by Vitali Industries."
Blair froze, the blood completely draining from her face.
"As of eight o'clock tomorrow morning," Leandro announced deadpan, "that contract is permanently terminated. And if your father asks why... tell him to thank his daughter's manners."
Blair let out a high-pitched, choked shriek of pure terror as Leandro guided me smoothly past her, stepping out through the grand arched entrance into the cool Minnesota night air.
Waiting at the curb was a massive, matte-black armored Maybach, its engine idling silently, white exhaust curling into the dark sky.
Leo opened the heavy rear door, bowing his head in absolute, terrifying reverence as Leandro helped me inside the plush, leather-scented cabin.
I sank onto the heated seat, holding my breath as the door clicked shut with an airtight, heavy THUD.
Leandro stepped inside beside me, unbuttoning his tuxedo jacket, looking at me with dark, quiet eyes that held zero cruelty and endless warmth.
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"Where are we going?" I asked softly, my hands resting on my knees.
"We are going to my estate on Lake Minnetonka, Clare," Leandro promised softly, reaching out his broad hand to gently, reverently cover mine. "Where no one will ever make you feel small again."
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