Chapter 233

Chapter 233:

Dallas strode out, flanked by Weston and two security guards, looking like a thundercloud in a dark suit. He crossed the lobby in three strides, seized Anson’s wrist, and twisted. Hard.

Anson yelped and released her.

Dallas stepped between them — a solid wall.

“Touch my wife again,” he said, his voice low and deadly, “and you lose the hand p>

Anson rubbed his wrist, sneering. “She’s your wife on paper. She’s my family in spirit p>

“She is nothing to you,” Dallas said. “You lost her p>

“Did you tell her about your father’s dirty laundry?” Anson threw out, grasping for chaos. “The affair? The hush money p>

Dallas glanced at Eliza. He saw the fear in her eyes. The doubt.

𝖸o𝘶𝗿 𝗻ex𝘁 fа𝘷𝗼𝗋𝗶𝗍𝖾 𝘳𝗲𝖺𝘥 𝗶ѕ 𝗼𝗻

“There is no hush money,” he said to her directly, ignoring Anson entirely. “Only love p>

“Prove it,” Anson shouted. “Tell her your parents accept her p>

Dallas paused. A flicker — barely there, but visible. He knew his parents were returning, and he knew how difficult they would be.

Anson laughed. “See p>

“My parents don’t matter,” Dallas said, his voice ringing through the lobby. “I matter. And I claim her.” He wrapped his arm around Eliza’s waist and pulled her firmly against him. “Security — remove Mr. Hyde. Permanently. And the front desk staff who let him in are dismissed p>

The guards swarmed Anson and moved him toward the revolving doors.

“You’re making a mistake, Eliza!” Anson shouted as he was dragged out. “He’s using you p>

The doors spun shut behind him. Silence returned to the lobby. The staff went back to work, keeping their eyes carefully down.

Eliza looked up at Dallas. “Is it true? About your father p>

“We need to talk,” Dallas said. “Not here p>

He guided her to the private elevator. “To the top p>

Dallas’s office was a fortress of glass overlooking the city, separated from the world below.

Dallas locked the door and turned to face her.

“Ask me,” he said. “Whatever he told you p>

“Did your father have an affair? Did my mother help hide it? Is our marriage a payment to keep that secret?” Eliza’s voice trembled on every word.

“My father is a man of many secrets,” Dallas said, stepping closer. “And yes — your mother was a kind soul who helped someone he had wronged. I made a donation to her charity three years ago to honor her memory. It had nothing to do with you. Or this.” He gestured between them.

“And the debt?” Eliza pressed.

“The only debt I have is to my own heart,” Dallas said. “For waiting too long p>

“Anson said your love is calculated,” Eliza said, giving voice to her deepest fear. “A transaction p>

Dallas laughed — short, bitter.

“Calculated?” He ran a hand through his hair. “Eliza, if I were calculating, I would have married a senator’s daughter. Someone with connections. Someone safe.” He counted on his fingers. “I married the daughter of a bankrupt family. With a murderer for an uncle. A stalker ex-fiancé. And a media storm that follows her everywhere.” He looked at her. “Does that sound like a good business deal to you p>

Eliza blinked. “No. It sounds like a liability p>