Chapter 740 Elliot's Heart Softened the Moment She Shed a Tear 1
Molly froze for a moment.
Walter looked displeased and was about to prompt her when Elliot finished hanging up his coat and turned around. His gaze lingered on Molly with an intensity that made the air shift.
Walter, ever the opportunist, read the room instantly. He could practically see dollar signs dancing in his head.
This could work perfectly.
So Walter orchestrated the seating, placing Molly directly beside Elliot. He leaned over with specific instructions: serve Elliot personally, keep his glass full, make sure he's completely satisfied.
"I don't think I can do this," Molly whispered.
Walter's expression hardened. "You've done it before. What's so difficult about it now?"
The color drained from Molly's face.
Using Elliot for profit was the last thing she wanted, but in a room full of industry power players, storming out wasn't an option. She took her place beside him, mimicking the other women as they fawned over their targets. She served him attentively, speaking little, anticipating his every need.
Elliot commanded the room effortlessly. A man who could casually write a fifty-million-dollar check had Walter and the entire production team orbiting around him like planets around the sun.
Their conversation delved into complex financial territories that flew completely over Molly's head.
She remained silent, studying Elliot instead. Six months had transformed him. The boyish edges had been carved away, replaced by the sharp confidence of a man who'd spent decades in boardrooms. There was an authority in his bearing now, an unconscious severity that made others instinctively defer to him.
Lost in observation, Molly's hand slipped. Red wine cascaded over the rim, splashing across Elliot's charcoal slacks and darkening the expensive fabric.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Windsor. Let me clean that up."
She grabbed napkins, her delicate hands working frantically against his thigh. The intimate gesture sent ripples of knowing laughter around the table.
"Molly's definitely doing that on purpose. Lucky bastard, Windsor."
Such crude commentary was standard in entertainment circles, but tonight it felt different. Tonight it was Elliot.
She looked up at him helplessly under the warm restaurant lighting. He held her gaze, something unreadable flickering in his dark eyes. Then he turned to his assistant.
"Clio, get me a room here. And bring me a change of clothes."
Clio moved with practiced efficiency, returning minutes later with arrangements made.
Elliot's voice cut through the sudden silence. "Come on."
The entire table went dead quiet. Walter's jaw dropped.
He'd expected some light flirtation, not this. Everyone in the industry knew Molly's reputation—she'd once hospitalized an investor with an ashtray for getting too handsy.
But as the room held its collective breath, Molly stood.
She followed Elliot out without a word.
The moment the door closed, the gossip exploded:
"Think there's actually something between them?"
"Has to be. You see how Windsor usually handles women? Ice cold. But he let her practically massage his leg without batting an eye."
"That's not normal behavior for him."
Walter raised a hand, his voice thoughtful. "I think it's genuine. Real feelings."
Everyone had history, after all. Whatever had kept them apart before, they were both single now. Anything could happen.
"Either way," Walter continued, his tone carrying warning, "treat Molly with respect from now on. She might be Mrs. Windsor sooner than you think."
Skeptical murmurs filled the air until the door opened again.
Clio entered, placing a check on the table in front of Walter with businesslike precision. "Fifty million for promotional investment, as discussed. An additional ten million for Ms. Lavien's wardrobe budget, courtesy of Mr. Windsor personally."
She left as smoothly as she'd arrived.
The room fell into stunned silence.
Walter picked up the check with trembling fingers, his expression somewhere between disbelief and euphoria. "Did I hear that right? The easiest money I've ever made. Dinner isn't even over and one look from Molly's pretty eyes just melted a sixty-million-dollar heart. Now that's how a rich man courts a woman."
Envious grumbles filled the air.
Walter smirked. "Even if you were women, you'd need Molly's face to pull this off."
When the Windsor family set their sights on someone, mediocrity was never part of the equation.