Chapter 359
Chapter 359:
“I am protesting!” Gigi declared, her voice regaining some of its steel. “I will not sign a single proxy vote or attend another board meeting until Dallas comes here and explains why he is destroying his life. And yours p>
“Gigi, please.” Eliza sat on the edge of the bed. “You need your strength. Dallas has made his choice p>
“His choice is garbage!” Gigi reached under her pillow and pulled out a paperback novel. The cover featured a shirtless man with airbrushed abs, clutching a woman in a torn dress.
“I’ve been reading,” Gigi said, waving the book. “The Tycoon’s Ruthless Rejection. Listen to this.” She opened it to a dog-eared page and began to read with dramatic flair.
“He pushed her away, his eyes cold as ice, though his heart was burning with a secret agony. ‘Go,’ he growled. ‘I don’t love you.’ He had to lie. He had to break her to save her from the darkness that hunted him p>
Gigi slammed the book shut. “It’s the same thing! It’s a trope, Eliza! A stupid, stubborn male trope! He thinks he’s protecting you from something p>
Eliza stared at the book. “Gigi, that’s fiction. Dallas isn’t protecting me. He’s with Yvonne. He’s moved on p>
“Yvonne?” Gigi scoffed. “That girl holds a gun better than she holds a conversation. Dallas needs a soul, not a bodyguard. He’s acting p>
The door opened. Jeannine Koch walked in, impeccable in a gray suit. Bella Rose trailed behind her, looking pale and exhausted.
𝗥𝗈𝗆𝖺𝘯с𝗲 𝘯о𝗏𝘦𝗅𝘴 𝗼𝗻
“Mother, please,” Jeannine sighed, looking at the mess on the floor. “Stop terrorizing the staff p>
“I’ll stop when you fix your son!” Gigi snapped.
Jeannine looked at Eliza. Her expression was unreadable — a mask of corporate neutrality.
“Eliza,” Jeannine said. “I heard about the security incident. I apologize. The new protocols are strict p>
“Strict?” Eliza stood up. “You locked me out of my own project p>
“The project is paused,” Jeannine said. She reached into her bag and pulled out a check. “However, Dallas authorized this. It’s the final disbursement from your prenuptial agreement, tied to the dissolution of the marriage. Five million dollars.” She held it out, her voice cool. “He wants this matter concluded p>
Eliza looked at the slip of paper. Five million. It would solve everything — the Luna debt, her frozen accounts. She could disappear.
“He’s paying me to go away,” Eliza said quietly.
“He is fulfilling a contract,” Bella spoke up. Her voice was tight. She wasn’t looking at Eliza; she was looking at the floor.
“Secure?” Eliza laughed bitterly. “He destroyed my credit, my home, and my work. This isn’t a settlement. It’s hush money p>
Eliza took the check.
Jeannine’s shoulders relaxed slightly.
Eliza ripped it in half. Then in quarters. She let the pieces flutter to the floor like confetti.
“Tell him,” Eliza said, her voice shaking with adrenaline, “that I am not an employee he can fire. And I am not someone he can pay off. I don’t want his money. I want the truth p>
The room went silent. Even Gigi looked impressed.
“Eliza —” Bella started, stepping forward. Her eyes were filled with a desperate pity that made Eliza’s skin crawl.