Second Vows Adored by the Billionaire novel Chapter 13

"Tell him Ms. Sterling is your closest friend, and that what she did last night was... for you."

Eloise felt as though damp cotton had been stuffed into her chest, thickening her breath.

The anger rose immediately, sharp and hot, but she pressed it down because this was not the moment to tear anything open.

Her fingernails dug into her palm. She met Victor's eyes evenly. "Mr. Dean isn't stupid. If I say that, do you think he'll believe it?"

Victor's gaze dimmed.

"Ms. Sterling has accompanied Mr. Dean at business functions many times. If her image is damaged, it will cause trouble when we negotiate details later."

Eloise's voice went dry. "Is there no one else in the company?"

He had forgotten, perhaps, what the early years looked like, when she drank for him, chased clients for him, and once landed in the hospital with a bleeding stomach.

She had assumed Anita's disgrace would disappoint him. Instead, he was still trying to protect her.

Victor's jaw tightened, his voice hoarse.

"It's not that there's no one else. It's just that Seafort's cooperation has always been handled by Ms. Sterling. A clarification makes it easier to keep things moving."

Easier for Anita, not for the company.

Her fingers turned pale with pressure.

Victor had organized his life neatly. Anita was the woman who fought beside him in public, and Eloise was the woman he placed safely behind the walls of his home.

Red and white, perfectly divided.

Eloise smiled, and the smile carried a faint, humiliating edge. "Fine. I'll do it."

Victor's shoulders loosened in relief. "Eloise, from now on, I'll keep my distance from any woman. Take this."

He pressed a black card into her hand. "There's thirty million on it. The password is your birthday. Buy whatever you want."

Victor started the car.

In his mind, the reasoning was neat as well.

This could be compensation for Eloise's loyalty across these years, since every major asset and property was already under his control.

Her refusal had never been about virtue. It had been about knowing Victor.

The more a woman insisted she didn't want something, the more Victor believed she was "good," and the more he felt compelled to give, because that was how he balanced each woman's heart.

And Victor was skilled at balancing.

Victor, I never knew the man who swore to love only one woman was so proficient at this.

Before the visit, Eloise had already messaged Kevin.

The meeting went smoothly. Eloise offered an explanation exactly as Victor requested, and Victor left visibly satisfied.

As they walked out of Seafort Group's building, Victor put an arm around Eloise's shoulder, his eyes bright again.

"We're not going home tonight," he said. "I'll take you to that new restaurant. Just the two of us. Eloise, thank you for today."

Eloise smiled. "All right."

Victor still remembered what Eloise liked to eat, and he ordered many dishes.