Chapter 240
+25 BONUS
Theo froze for a second, suddenly realizing that Anathea was now his arms. He didn’t know what to do, but his grip on her hand tightened instinctively, as if he didn’t want her to leave.
“Theo, let go.”
Anathea didn’t look pleased and tried to step back.
But Theo, as if driven by something beyond reason, didn’t release her. Instead, the hand around her waist tightened as he pulled her in closer.
Her forehead bumped into his chest. The faint scent of neroli wrapped around her, making her pause.
But Theo’s impulsive action was all it took to spark the fire.
Anathea looked up and saw Gregory storming toward them with blazing eyes. Before she could say anything, he grabbed her free wrist and yanked her out of Theo’s arms.
Yet, Theo held on. Now Anathea was stuck between the to wrench her hands away, but neither man budged.
two
of them, one man gripping each hand. She frowned deeply and tried
“Theo, what the hell are you doing?” Gregory’s voice was sharp as ice as he glared at Theo’s hand on her wrist.
“Greg, just hear me out—”
Theo started, but Gregory cut him off coldly, “Let go.”
Theo froze.
Gregory’s grip on Anathea tightened, hard enough that her face went pale from the pain.
“Greg, stop!” Theo couldn’t bear to see Anathea getting hurt.
“Then you let go!” Gregory wasn’t backing down.
Theo looked at Anathea’s face, which was growing paler by the second. Pressing his lips into a tight line, he had no choice but to
let go.
The moment he did, Gregory yanked Anathea straight into his arms.
The sharp scent of cedarwood suddenly flooded her senses, overpowering the neroli and carrying with it an unmistakable hint
of danger.
Anathea instinctively tried to pull away, but Gregory’s hand locked on her shoulder, holding her tight. She had no choice but to stay pressed against him.
Theo opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but Gregory shot him a cold look. Frowning, he said, “This isn’t over. We’ll settle this later.”
Theo stiffened. His hands curled into fists at his sides. He looked like he wanted to protest again, but then he caught Adrian’s
-eye.
Adrian gave him a silent shake of the head–a warning and a reminder.
He was warning Theo that his behavior toward Anathea this time had clearly crossed the line.
Theo flinched. Something complicated flashed across his face. He slowly relaxed his fists and watched Gregory pull Anathea away with one arm around her shoulders.
The night in Castenea was as dark as ink. The moon had vanished behind thick clouds, and the ground was swallowed by
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Chapter 240
+25 BONUS
shadows. Thunder rolled in the distance, and a cold wind howled through the trees, tearing across the sky like it wanted to split the night open.
The wind was bitter, chilling skin to the bone. Anathea felt it cut right through her. Gregory was still holding her by the shoulder, dragging her along no matter how hard she struggled.
To anyone watching, they might’ve looked like a loving couple. Only Anathea could truly sense the violence simmering beneath Gregory’s dark, brooding expression.
“Gregory, where are you taking me?” she asked as he pulled her away from the crowd, across the balcony, into the shadows of the night.
A storm was brewing in the hills.
Gregory kicked open the door to the dressing room and dragged her inside.
Before Anathea could react, he shoved her down onto the couch with his hand clamped around her neck.
“Gregory!” she gasped in shock.
With a sharp rip, he yanked off her jacket, revealing the slender straps of her dress underneath.
