The realization hit all at once. This man wasn’t just so rich stranger Ivyhad accidentally spilled a drink on.
This was him.
He was the date grandfather had planned for ivy.
I stared at Zane Whitmore, my expression calm only because years of practice had taught how to hide reaction behind stillness. Inside, my thoughts were anything but quiet.
A club?
He brought her to a club?
Of all places.
Ivy stood beside , shoulders hunched, fingers twisting together nervously. She looked out of place up here. Too young. Too unguarded for a man like this.
I felt irritation rise fast and hot, followed closely by sothing colder.
Of course this is how he does it, I thought. Dim lights. Alcohol. Loud music. Evaluate how pliable she is.
My jaw tightened.
Zane looked between the two of us, his gaze settling briefly on Ivy before returning to . "You must be Ivy."
Ivy nodded, barely eting his eyes. "Yes. I an.....yes, sir."
Sir.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
I stepped slightly in front of her again, my body angling protectively without conscious effort. "So this is the date," I said, my tone polite but edged. "At a club." Since he didn’t answer to my earlier question.
His expression didn’t change. If anything, he looked mildly amused. "Is there an issue with the venue?"
I held his gaze. "For soone who’s barely old enough? Yes."
Ivy sucked in a quiet breath beside .
Zane studied more carefully now. Looking Curious.
"You’re her cousin," he said.
"Yes I told you that before."
"And you disapprove."
"That’s one word for it," I replied.
Inside my head, I was far less composed.
Arrogant and detached, he Probably thinks this makes him look modern.
Congratulations. You look like a dick instead.
Ivy shifted nervously. "Elaine, it’s okay. I just....."
"It’s late," I said gently, turning to her. "And you’re exhausted."
She hesitated. "But you..." probably already knowing where I’m headed.
"I’ll be fine."
She didn’t look convinced.
I turned back to Zane. "I’d like her to go ho."
His brow lifted slightly. "Now?"
"Yes."
There was a pause. The music pulsed faintly behind us, laughter floating from another booth. Zane glanced at Ivy again, really looking this ti, at her unease, the way she stood half behind and the way she nodded too quickly when he t her eyes.
"Very well," he said. "I’ll have soone take her."
"I want to know who," I said imdiately.
Sothing like approval flickered across his face.
He gestured subtly, and a man stepped forward from nearby. Tall and bulky. Not dressed like security, but unmistakably there for that purpose.
"Marcus," Zane said. "He’ll see her ho safely."
I looked at Marcus, assessing. He t my gaze without flinching. Professional and grounded.
I turned to Ivy. "Lucas is going to lose his mind if you’re not ho soon."
That did it.
Looking at her phone she sighed. "He already texted twice." Yeap Lucas can be protective like that.
"Exactly."
She looked between and Zane, uncertainty written all over her face. "But I don’t want to leave you here alone."
I smiled, softening my voice. "I’ll be right behind you. I just need to clear sothing up."
"With him?" she asked quietly.
"Yes cupcakes."
Her brows drew together. "Elaine....."
"I promise," I said, squeezing her hands. "I’m okay."
She searched my face, then nodded slowly. "Okay."
Marcus stepped closer, offering his arm politely. Ivy took it after one last look at .
"Text when you get ho," I said.
"I will."
I watched them disappear down the stairs before turning back to Zane.
The space between us felt smaller now that lvy wasn’t here.
I took a step toward the booth but stopped short, choosing the far end instead of sitting close. I crossed one leg over the other, placing my bag neatly beside .
Distance mattered.
Zane noticed. Of course he did.
"You don’t trust ," he said.
"I have no reason to." I replied.
He leaned back slightly, one arm resting along the back of the booth looking relaxed and unbothered.
"You seed to have already ford an opinion," he said.
I t his gaze steadily. "You scheduled a first eting with a young woman you barely know at a club. That tells enough to ask questions."
"And yet you stayed."
"For my cousin," I said. "Not for you."
His lips curved faintly. "Then why ask to speak privately?"
Because this was the mont.
I exhaled slowly. "Because there’s been a misunderstanding."
"Has there?"
"Yes."
He waited.
I straightened my shoulders. "Ivy isn’t suited for this arrangent."
Sothing sharpened in his eyes. "You speak for her?" Glad he knows exactly what I’m talking about.
"I speak for soone who hasn’t been given all the information," I said. "And who trusts the wrong people too easily."
"Including you?"
I didn’t flinch. "Including ."
Silence stretched between us.
Zane studied with renewed interest now, not like a man assessing a deal, but like one encountering resistance he hadn’t anticipated.
"And what exactly are you suggesting?" he asked.
I held his gaze, pulse steady, voice calm.
"That if you’re looking for soone to marry from my famil," I said, "it shouldn’t be her."
"And who should it be?"
A deliberate question.
I let a beat pass.
"."
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