Chapter 5 - The Phantom Boyfriend
The towering man stopped exactly in front of my table.
"I apologize for the delay, Emma," he said. His voice was a low, vibrating rumble that carried effortlessly through the dead-silent ballroom. "My flight from Zurich was grounded by the storm."
He reached out his large, warm hand. I placed my hand in his, and he gently helped me stand up from the cheap chair near the kitchen doors. He didn't just hold my hand; he brought my knuckles to his lips and kissed them with absolute, undeniable reverence.
The collective gasp from the surrounding tables was audible.
For the past year, I had casually mentioned to my family that I was dating someone. I told them he was involved in international finance, and that he traveled constantly. My father had mercilessly mocked me, claiming I had invented a fake boyfriend to cover up my pathetic, lonely existence. He had made it a running joke at every family gathering.
They thought he was a ghost.
But Elias Vance was very real. And as the CEO of Vanguard Acquisitions, a ruthless, multi-billion-dollar corporate restructuring firm, Elias was the exact apex predator my father had spent his entire career terrified of crossing.
Elias didn't let go of my hand. He slowly turned his intense, dark gaze toward the head table, locking eyes directly with my father.
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"Richard," Elias stated coldly, the sheer cinematic realism of his authority completely dominating the room. "You seem surprised to see me."
👉 My father was absolutely paralyzed with fear, but the bomb Elias was carrying was about to completely vaporize his world.
