Chapter 239
Gregory’s eyes were locked on Anathea, who was still in Theo’s arms. His face darkened, and his fist clenched so tightly that veins popped from the back of his hand.
Even while dancing with Natalie, Gregory’s gaze had kept drifting to Anathea.
At first, when he saw her sitting alone in the lounge area, he felt a strange discomfort, but he kept dancing.
He told himself that if he waited just a little longer, Anathea’s facade of indifference would crumble. When it did, she’d come to him, and he’d give her a way out.
He forced himself to dance with Natalie while his mind lingered on Anathea. He was waiting for the right moment. But what he hadn’t anticipated was Theo going up to Anathea.
He watched as Theo spoke to her, made her laugh, and then invited her to dance. And Anathea had actually agreed!
She actually placed her hand in Theo’s right in front of him.
And Theo’s clumsy dancing somehow even managed to make her laugh. Was her sense of humor really that easy to please?
At that moment, for the first time since he started learning the waltz, Gregory stepped on his partner’s foot–not just once, but multiple times.
Natalie winced in pain with a frown, but she didn’t show any signs of displeasure. Instead, she did her best to be in sync with Gregory, determined to make the dance flawless and turn them into the center of attention. She wanted to be the focal point of
the party.
But no amount of skill could overcome a distracted partner. In just 30 seconds, Gregory had stepped on her foot five times. Even the toughest material would have been flattened by such repeated force.
“Greg.” After another misstep, Natalie finally couldn’t hold back. She softly called out to him and asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”
But she received no reply.
Frowning, she looked up at Gregory, only to realize that his attention was nowhere near her. His eyes were almost glued to
Anathea.
Gregory wasn’t the only one. The surrounding guests, too, had their eyes on Anathea. She could see their expressions change, shifting from disdain and amusement to admiration.
As the dance concluded, the applause for Anathea was louder than anyone could have expected.
This was supposed to be Natalie’s birthday party. She should have been the one everyone focused on, but instead, all eyes were on Anathea.
Natalie clenched her jaw. Her gaze was filled with resentment as she looked at Anathea.
She couldn’t let Anathea steal her spotlight.
With a sharp glance, she subtly signaled the waiter behind Anathea, who carried a tray of drinks.
Since Anathea wanted attention, Natalie would make sure of it. Anathea would be knocked to the ground, the spilled drink drenching her from head to toe, right in front of everyone.
Natalie couldn’t wait to see if that pristine white dress could still remain spotless after that.
But what Natalie hadn’t counted on was Theo’s swift intervention. He protected Anathea and even held her in his arms. They looked like they were quite close.
At that exact moment, Gregory wrenched his hand away from Natalie. Ignoring the eyes of everyone around, he bellowed out Anathea’s name, “Anathea!”
Chapter 239
+25 BONUS
His voice ripped through the air, like the roar of a beast in the night. It shattered the quiet of the evening, sending a shiver through everyone in the room. They were all left shaken by the overwhelming force of his presence.
Anathea’s breath caught in her throat as she met Gregory’s gaze.
With that cold, fierce look in his deep eyes, he seemed as though he was ready to tear her apart in an instant.
Though it was all a misunderstanding, Anathea didn’t want to get caught in this mess. She tried to pull away from Theo’s arms.
