Second Vows Adored by the Billionaire novel Chapter 4

Then, a familiar voice reached Eloise.

"I'm sorry, Anita," Victor said, his tone low and intimate. "I didn't expect Eloise to show up like that. I hate that you had to deal with it."

Anita's voice was syrupy sweet. "It's fine, I'm used to it by now. But you've been neglecting Eloise for so long—won't she be upset? If you don't go home to her tonight, what if she gets angry?"

"That doesn't matter. She's easy to handle," Victor answered without hesitation. "Tonight is about you. I should be here with you and Beatrice. She took the gift, but that's alright—I'll give you this bracelet instead. I've been wearing it for years."

Beatrice squealed with delight. "Yay! Daddy's the best! Mommy, see? In Daddy's heart, you're number one!"

"Don't say things like that, especially in front of Eloise, okay?" Anita said softly, giving her daughter a gentle nudge. But her hand reached toward Victor anyway. "Victor, that bracelet... didn't Eloise make a pilgrimage to get that blessed for you? She walked for miles in the rain to that monastery upstate. If she knew you were giving it to someone else, wouldn't that crush her?"

Eloise's breath caught. That bracelet wasn't just jewelry. It was a promise, and now he was giving it to Anita like it meant nothing.

Eloise leaned slightly and looked through the carved gap of the booth divider.

The dark bracelet slid off Victor's wrist, and he fastened it around Anita's.

The sight hit Eloise like a physical blow, sharp and breathtaking.

Victor's voice came again, quiet and certain. "I can't be with you guys every minute. Let it protect you. If Eloise asks, I'll tell her I lost it."

Anita instinctively pushed back. "But it's protected you, too. If you give it to me, what about you?"

Victor's reply was gentle but dismissive.

"Eloise can get me a new one," he said. "She always gets what she wants, whatever it takes. Right now, you're what matters to me."

Anita's voice softened. "Victor, you're so good to me. I love you. Everything Beatrice and I go through... it's all worth it when I'm with you."

Victor pulled both of them into his arms.

"You and Beatrice are my family too," he said quietly. "I'll take care of you both—give you everything you need." His voice dropped, turning hard. "But you have to be careful. Whatever I give you, don't let Eloise see it. Ever."

For a split second, something flickered in Anita's eyes. Disappointment, maybe.

Then she smiled again, obedient and sweet. "I understand. I'll be careful. She'll never know."

*****

Eloise sat frozen, all the blood drained from her face.

Through the carved openings in the booth, she watched them—the three of them together, leaning into each other, laughing. They looked so happy it hurt to see.

Her eyes burned with tears she refused to let fall.

She bent over the trash bin and threw up until her whole body shook.

When she finally managed to catch her breath, a cold voice spoke above her.

"Miss. Are you done? You've been blocking the entrance for a while now."

Eloise looked up, dazed.

A young man stood in front of her, well-dressed and clean-cut, his suit crisp and expensive.

Behind him was another man—tall and broad-shouldered, with a coat draped neatly over his frame. A hat brim shadowed his face so she couldn't make out his features, but his presence was unmistakable, heavy with the kind of authority that made people step aside without being told.

He looked like someone important.

Eloise glanced around and realized she wasn't tucked in a corner at all. She was blocking the entrance to the parking lot.

"I'm sorry," she said automatically, trying to straighten up. "I didn't mean to—"

But the next second, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and everything went dark at the edges.

A strong, steady arm caught Eloise before she could hit the ground, pulling her securely against a firm chest.