Chapter 19
Nathan didn’t answer. He pulled her inside, reached behind her, and locked the door with a soft, definitive click. Eliana’s frown deepened. She shoved him back and grabbed for the lock.
Just as it clicked open, his hand shot past her, slamming the door shut again. He braced one arm against it, caging her in, and leaned close. “What happened to you? Where’s the girl who made such a spectacular scene breaking up with me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She kept her voice flat. “Doing something like this in the middle of Eliot Group, if word got out, Mr. Turner, it wouldn’t look good for you, would it?”
“Look good?” He let out a short, humorless laugh, a smirk touching his lips. “You torpedoed my reputation ten years ago. Remember?”
“So. Ms. Lyons,” he murmured, leaning even closer, his breath a warm threat against her skin. “Reputation’s never been my priority. But what about yours?”
Hearing him drag up the past sent a cold shock through her. Memories she’d buried deep came surging back, chaotic and vivid. Combined with his oppressive nearness, she felt dangerously off–balance.
Their breakup had been ugly, messy, a bridge she’d been determined to burn forever. She had no desire to rekindle anything with this man, no interest in any kind of entanglement.
The Nathan Turner of today was a different creature entirely–powerful, unpredictable, someone she couldn’t afford to offend.
After one disastrous marriage, she was done with all of it. Her only goal now was saving her family’s company.
So, facing his questioning, she did the only sensible thing: she lowered her head in a gesture of submission. “What happened back then was my fault. I was young and didn’t know any better. I offended you, Mr. Turner.”
“I can only hope you’ll be magnanimous enough to let bygones be bygones.” She spoke to the floor, refusing to meet his eyes. It’s been ten years, she told herself, clinging to the logic.
No one holds a grudge that long, especially not someone as busy and important as him. She missed the way his expression. shifted, the surge of intense, complicated emotion that darkened his gaze before he wrestled it under control.
Nathan knew she hadn’t been happy these past years. Otherwise, she’d never have pushed things to the point of divorce with a man like Logan.
The Eliana he remembered was fiercely proud, even when she was wrong, she’d hold on and see it through. For her to take this step meant she’d been pushed past her limit.
He studied the top of her bowed head, a faint frown creasing his brow. He was about to speak when a soft knock interrupted.
“Mr. Turner? Is everything alright?” Logan’s voice, muffled but unmistakable, came from the other side of the door.
Eliana flinched. She was pressed against the door, so his voice seemed to come from right behind her, sending a fresh wave of panic through her.
She was determined to divorce, yes, but they were still in the cooling–off period. The last thing she needed was a scandal now. Instinct took over. She looked up at Nathan, her eyes wide with a silent, urgent plea: Don’t.
A slow, knowing smile spread across his lips. He leaned in until his mouth was almost touching her ear, but his voice, when it came, was pitched for the hallway. “I’m fine. Just a stomach cramp. Be out in a minute.”
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Chapter 19
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His breath was hot against her sensitive skin, making her jerk her head away. After all this time, he still knows exactly how to get to her.
Seeing she wouldn’t dare make a scene, Nathan pressed his advantage. He let his lips brush lightly, deliberately, against the side of her neck. Eliana recoiled as if shocked, shoving him away hard.
Nathan made no effort to brace himself, allowing the shove to connect. He grunted, the sound convincingly pained. “Mr. Turner? Are you okay?” Logan’s concerned voice came again, closer this time.
Trapped, Eliana could only stare at Nathan, her eyes a storm of fear and frustration.
When the knock came a third time, Nathan finally relented, unable to bear the genuine distress in her look. “It’s nothing. Twisted my ankle. My apologies for the spectacle.”
“Mr. Eliot, please go ahead to the conference room. I’ll join you shortly.” He added. They heard Logan’s reluctant footsteps finally recede. Once silence fell, Eliana turned and yanked the door open.
Nathan didn’t stop her. He just watched, a hint of amusement still in his eyes. “In a hurry? He might still be down the hall. You walk out that door now, and there’s no explaining this away.”
She shot him a venomous look. “Then you go out first. Signal me when it’s clear.”
Hearing it, seeing Nathan’s eyebrow quirk in response, she caught herself. She took a steadying breath and forced a more polite tone. “If you wouldn’t mind, Mr. Turner.”
“Fine.” He agreed easily this time. But he moved with sudden, unsettling speed. Before she could sidestep, he was there, his body crowding her back against the door as he reached for the handle.
The movement forced them into intimate, full–length contact. Eliana inhaled sharply, holding her breath, fighting the urge to knee him somewhere painful.
“Well?” she managed through gritted teeth. “Has he left?”
Instead of answering, Nathan’s voice dropped, losing its playful edge. “I’m just curious. After being with me, how could you ever lower your standards enough to settle for someone like Logan?”
The insult to Logan was deliberate, meant to provoke. She ignored it. Estimating enough time had passed, she pulled the door open and slipped out.
This time, he let her go. He followed at a leisurely pace, walking to the sink and beginning to wash his hands with an air of complete nonchalance. “Do you know how much capital Eliot Group has sunk into that Westridge development?
“Getting that land back won’t be the walk in the park you seem to think. Even if he signs it over, he’ll make sure the path is littered with obstacles for the Lyons family.”
As he spoke, he noticed her attention had been caught. He finished drying his hands and stepped closer, leaning down to meet her gaze directly. “If you find yourself in over your head, you know where to find me, my ex.”
With that, he turned and strode back toward the conference room without a backward glance. And Eliana’s expression turned grim as she hurried from the building.
In her past life, she remembered it had eventually become a state–of–the–art Life Sciences Park, a crown jewel in Eliot Group’s portfolio, complete with R&D labs, pilot plants, and production facilities satisfying GMP standards. The investment had been enormous.
Logan had never allowed her near his business, so her knowledge was patchy. But she knew enough. Reclaiming the land would be just the first, and perhaps the simplest, battle.
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Chapter 19
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Thinking about this, she still hurried away from the Eliot Group. No matter the difficulty, she had to get that land back first. It was the only thing that could keep Lyons Group afloat.
As for the half–finished, financially bleeding project sitting on it, she’d have to cross that bridge when she came to it.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
