Chapter 184

Chapter 184:

“Where is my room?” Eliza asked, ignoring Sienna. “I’d like to put my bag down p>

“Your old room. We kept it… mostly the same,” Buck said, patting his forehead with a handkerchief.

Eliza climbed the stairs. The carpet was threadbare underfoot. The house felt heavy — as if the walls themselves were holding their breath.

Her room was cold. The wallpaper was peeling away at the corners, and the air smelled of damp and neglect. She set her bag on the bed and sat still for a moment.

Then she heard voices in the hallway.

She crossed to the door and eased it open a crack.

“Is she pretty enough? Dante likes them pretty,” Margo whispered. Her voice carried easily through the empty corridor.

“She’s a Hyde foster. That adds value. She has class,” Buck replied.

“Just get the signature. Then we get the check.” A pause. “Make sure she doesn’t leave p>

Eliza closed the door without a sound. Her heart was hammering.

N𝘦𝗐 𝗰𝘩𝘢pt𝖾r𝘴 𝖾v𝗲𝗿𝘺 𝘸𝗲𝘦𝗄 𝗼ո

They weren’t selling the house.

They were selling her.

Every instinct told her to climb out the window and run. But the paintings were still here. Her mother’s work was somewhere on this property, and she couldn’t leave without securing it.

She crossed to the window and looked down at the overgrown garden below. Near the cliff edge stood a separate stone building — the art studio. It was boarded up.

She needed to get inside, check the inventory, and then call Dallas to get her out.

The dinner bell rang — a hollow, gloomy sound that echoed through the empty rooms.

She went down. The dining table was set with chipped china, the silverware tarnished, the soup that Margo ladled out thin and watery.

“So, Eliza,” Margo said pleasantly, settling into her chair. “No husband? No boyfriend p>

“I’m seeing someone,” Eliza said.

“A waiter? A driver?” Sienna suggested, stabbing a potato.

“A businessman,” Eliza replied, and took a sip of water. It tasted metallic.

“Good.” Buck smiled. It was a shark’s smile — all teeth, no warmth. “You understand business, then.” He set down his spoon. “We have a business partner joining us tomorrow evening. A Mr. Luna. Dante Luna.” He dropped the name with the deliberate weight of someone placing a card on a table. “You should meet him. He’s very interested in art p>

The air in the study was stifling, thick with the smell of cheap brandy and impending disaster.

“I’m married,” Eliza said. Her voice rang in the silence — a desperate gambit, a shield she hoped would deflect their greed.

Margo burst out laughing. It was a harsh, cackling sound. “Married? To whom? The invisible man p>

“Show us the ring,” Buck demanded, his eyes narrowing. “Show us the certificate p>

Eliza’s hand flew instinctively to her bare finger. The diamond Dallas had given her — the one she had tucked safely into her jewelry box back in the city — was miles away. Her sensible precaution had just become a catastrophic mistake.