Chapter 207: Chapter 207

Violet

I got into my car and tried calling Dane again but it went to voicemail right away. I sent him a bunch of texts explaining everything while also asking about his grandfather’s health, hoping he wouldn’t be angry with me.

I checked my watch, and one and a half hours had already passed amid my confusion and chatting with Mirella.

I hated how Elijah was making me dance to his tunes yet again, always threatening to make someone I care about suffer.

This was going to stop.

I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white, my foot pressing the accelerator harder than was probably safe. The city streets blurred past as I wove through traffic, my mind replaying the scene from the Gala over and over.

Elijah had shown up at the most important night of my career, and threatened to destroy a company he never cared about until now.

The sheer audacity of it made my blood boil. The arrogance and the entitlement like he could just threaten and manipulate his way back into my life after what he'd done, after the lies he'd told, after the bet he'd made about me.

I checked the clock on the dashboard. One and half hours had passed since his ultimatum. I had seventeen minutes to get to his office or Dane's company would face consequences I couldn't even imagine.

Because that was the thing about Elijah. When he made threats, he had the power and resources to follow through. I'd seen it firsthand during my first few interactions with him, watched him move pieces on a chessboard most people couldn't even see.

That seemed like a decade ago.

A car honked as I cut into the next lane, barely avoiding a collision. I accelerated harder to get there before the deadline, before Elijah destroyed an innocent man's livelihood just to force my hand.

My phone buzzed in the cupholder. Probably Mom again, asking what was happening, asking if the event had gone well. I’d given her a vague answer and then stopped answering after the third call without mentioning Elijah because I couldn't articulate the rage and hurt and confusion churning in my gut.

The city skyline came into view, and I could see Elijah's office building rising above the others.

I pulled into the parking garage with minutes to spare, leaving my car in the first available spot without bothering to straighten it. My heels clicked frantically on the concrete as I ran toward the elevator, jabbing the button repeatedly like that would make it arrive faster.

The elevator ride up seemed to take forever, each floor ticking by with agonizing slowness. I watched the numbers climb, my reflection staring back at me from the polished doors.

I looked wild. My hair was disheveled from driving with the windows down, eyes bright with fury and chest heaving from the run and the adrenaline.

Good.

I wanted him to see how angry I was, to make him face the consequences of his manipulative games.

The doors finally opened on the top floor, and I stepped out into a reception area that was far too quiet for a busy evening. The lights were on, but the usual bustle of people was absent.

I could hear voices coming from deeper in the office. There was laughter and music playing softly like a party was happening somewhere beyond the reception desk.

I followed the sounds, my anger propelling me forward. I turned a corner and found myself facing a set of double doors with frosted glass panels. Through them, I could see movement, shapes of people gathered.

As soon as I grabbed the handle and pushed the doors open, the entire office erupted into applause.

I froze in the doorway, my brain struggling to process what I was seeing.

Dozens of people, employees I didn't recognize, were all facing me with smiles and clapping hands. Balloons were clustered in corners and a banner stretched across the back wall reading "Welcome to the Team, Miss Violet!"

And at the center was a table laden with food and drinks and what looked like a cake decorated with congratulatory messages.

"Welcome!" someone called out and I turned to see a woman in business casual attire stepping forward with a huge smile. "We're so excited to have you joining us as our new Director of Design and R&D!"

I blinked, the words filtered through my confusion slowly, not quite making sense.

What did she call me?

More people were approaching now, hands extended for shakes, faces bright with genuine welcome. The woman led me towards the cake and I awkwardly stared at it for a few seconds as she handed me a plastic knife.

Still unsure of what was going on, I cut the cake to a roaring applause as she thrust a piece of cake at me while another hurried over to ask if I preferred beige or white for my office setup.

I stood there like an idiot, unable to form words, my eyes darting around nervously.

That's when I saw him.

Elijah stood in his glass walled office above the main floor, hands shoved casually in his pockets. He was looking down at the chaos below with an expression I couldn't quite read.

It was a mixture of something smug and satisfied like he'd just won a game I hadn't realized we were playing.

Our eyes met across the distance, and even from here I could see the intensity in his gaze, could feel the weight of his attention like a physical thing.

Now I realized he was the one behind this. He had orchestrated this entire scene and created a welcome party for a position I'd never applied for, never agreed to, never even knew existed until two hours ago when he'd threatened Dane into compliance.

"Miss Violet?" The woman who'd greeted me first was still talking, her smile starting to falter at my lack of response. "Are you alright? You look a bit overwhelmed."

"I'm fine," I managed to say, forcing my face into something approximating a smile. "Just surprised. This is all very unexpected."

"Well, Mr. Lockwood wanted to make sure you felt welcomed," the woman said warmly. "He speaks very highly of your work. We're all eager to see what you'll bring to the team."

More people were introducing themselves to me now, the entire team that was under me including department heads, senior designers and administrative staff.

It was all a blur of names and faces and handshakes that I couldn't keep straight because my entire focus was on the man watching from above.

The party atmosphere intensified as people were laughing, chatting and celebrating my arrival like it was the best thing that had happened to the company all year.

And I stood in the middle of it all, smiling and nodding and pretending to be happy while fury built in my chest like a pressure cooker about to explode.

I endured it for as long as I could but my eyes drifted to the top floor above where Elijah had been standing.