Chapter 47
*Grace POV*
After Eleonor and I finished preparing dinner, I went around setting plates in front of the guards stationed throughout the house. No matter how used to this routine I’ve become, tonight every movement feels like lifting weights. My body still aches, and all I want to do is collapse in bed and let go of the tension. After setting the last plate, I give Eleonor a small nod to signal that I’m heading to my room.
But before I can slip away, a voice halts me in my tracks.
“Grace. Come dine with us,” Sony’s voice echoes through the hallway, stopping me cold. He’s seated in a private room with Elio, and his tone leaves no room for debate.
Damn.
So much for rest. I take a deep breath, abandon my plan, and walk into the room. Elio’s expression is guarded, but he motions for me to sit in the chair directly across from him. I comply, trying to ignore the heaviness in my limbs. Soon enough, Eleonor appears with a plate for me, placing it in front of me and casting me a worried look.
Elio’s voice draws my attention back to him. “You should still be resting. You’re not fully recovered.”
I try to mask my surprise. *Is he crazy, showing concern for me in front of his father?* This isn’t the time or place for him to show any hint of care toward me—not with Sony’s eyes on us both.
“I’m fine. I just wanted to help Eleonor,” I say, choosing my words carefully.
Sony’s gaze shifts between me and Elio, and a smirk forms on his lips, cold and calculating. He leans back and takes a deliberate bite of his food, never breaking his gaze. I quickly begin eating, my goal now to finish and leave the room as quickly as possible.
“Elio, did you know Grace is loyal to you?” Sony’s question is casual, but there’s an unmistakable edge beneath it.
Elio’s jaw tightens. “Can you stop mocking people for once?” His tone is harsh, barely masking his frustration.
Sony only chuckles, a low, chilling sound. “Oh, but it’s true. Grace told me she feels loyal to you because you saved her.” His gaze drifts toward me, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
I feel Elio’s gaze flicker in my direction, but I keep my focus on my plate, forcing myself to remain calm.
“Do you want to tell her that loyalty isn’t enough in our world?” Sony presses.
Elio’s jaw clenches. “Father…”
But Sony raises his hand, silencing him. “Fine, I’ll tell her myself,” he says, his tone cool as he directs his attention fully onto me. “Loyalty isn’t enough, girl. Blood is needed too. If you even think about trying to seduce Elio…” He pauses, savoring each word, “…I’ll make you kill your own father.”
The chill of his words seeps into my bones, freezing me in place. *Is he serious?* Sony speaks with a terrifying ease, as though he’s simply laying out another business transaction. And the suggestion—that I would manipulate Elio, or seduce him—it sends a shudder through me. I don’t know if I could ever do such a thing, but the truth is, Elio has managed to make me feel things I haven’t felt before, without any effort at all.
“I wouldn’t… I won’t try to seduce him,” I manage, my voice almost a whisper.
Sony’s eyes narrow, a hint of disbelief in his gaze. “We’ll see in time. I can’t simply take your word for it,” he says with a dismissive shrug.
Frustration flashes across Elio’s face as he turns back to his father. “Enough, Father. I know emotions can cloud my judgment. That’s why I’ve never let myself fall in love, and I won’t start now.”
His words cut, and even though I know he’s saying them for Sony’s benefit, the finality in his tone stings. As if love is a weakness neither of us can afford. Perhaps he’s right, but something about hearing it out loud, hearing him deny any potential for what’s growing between us…it hurts more than I expected.
Elio’s eyes soften slightly as he turns to me, his tone firm but gentler than before. “Go to your room, Grace.”
I nod, not daring to disobey, and rise from my chair, moving toward the door as quickly as my aching body will allow. I feel Sony’s gaze follow me, piercing, assessing, and just as I’m about to leave, his voice stops me once again.
“You’re lucky we’ve accepted you, Grace,” he says coldly. “But don’t forget, I can make you disappear from this house as if you never existed. Every move you make counts.”
The door clicks shut behind me, and I finally let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. My mind spins, replaying the events of the dinner and Sony’s chilling threats. His words weren’t just about my loyalty to Elio—they were a warning. A reminder that any bond I might have with Elio is a danger, a risk to their control, to their rules.
For a moment, I find myself wondering if Sony is right. If the loyalty I feel for Elio is indeed a weakness in a world where loyalty means little without bloodshed to back it up. And yet…Elio’s defense of me keeps replaying in my mind, and even though his words were harsh, I know he said them to protect me. Somewhere beneath the cold, businesslike exterior, I saw something else—an ember of warmth that he quickly smothered.
Elio may insist that love and emotions only bring danger, but tonight I saw a side of him that defies those words. He may not call it love, may not even recognize it for what it is, but his actions speak louder than any denial. Part of me wants to hope that what he feels, no matter how faint or fragile, might be enough to push through the darkness around us both.
But as I lie in bed, trying to shake off Sony’s lingering presence, I wonder if that hope itself is a weakness.