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Anya hid a small smile at his nonchalant tone. “I heard the Carters are insanely wealthy. They’re in the diamond business,right? If you marry Miss Carter, it’ll help your business, and your social status too.”
Dante’s eyes narrowed instantly, and suspicion clouded his gaze. "Is that why you quit your job?"
Anya didn’t flinch. Her voice was calm, but there was pain in it. "I didn’t want to be a mistress."
Dante stiffened immediately. His hand shot out, gripping hers tightly.
"I never asked you to be my mistress," he snapped, his voice hard.
Anya recoiled, her face growing cold. She pulled her hand away sharply. "How can you even say that? Aren’t you here to meet Miss Carter? Isn’t that why you're on a blind date?"
“I only came out to talk to her,” he said through clenched teeth, clearly holding back frustration. "And she’s the one who cancelled the date. Clearly, she’s not interested in this marriage either.”
Anya turned her gaze away, refusing to meet his eyes.
Just then, the waiter returned and placed several dishes on the table. Anya took a deep breath, but the sight of the food made her stomach grumble.
She picked up her fork and began to eat in silence.
Dante watched her with a quiet intensity. Her calm, steady eating seemed to reassure him, and he finally started eating too. But as he did, he reached over now and then, placing more food on her plate, making sure it was never empty—that she always had something to eat.
He didn’t say a word. But his quiet actions spoke loud enough.
“I’m not approving your resignation,” Dante said after a few quiet seconds.
Anya looked up, frowning at him, her gaze sharp.
But he didn’t stop.
“You’re quitting right after your first day? Do you think my company is a place where people come and go whenever they feel like it?”
Anya’s body stiffened, but she calmly put down her fork and met his eyes.
“I can continue working,” she said softly, “but I doubt your mother will approve.”
“Don’t worry about my mother. I’ll handle her.” His voice was calm but firm. “If she bothers you, come to me. I’ll make sure you’re protected.”
Anya’s fingers tightened in her lap.
He didn’t know what Janet had done to her. He had no idea. And she didn’t plan on telling him—not yet. It wasn’t her place, and she’d already left that house.
She didn’t want to come off as troublesome and ungrateful.
Dante suddenly stood from his seat and walked around the table, catching her off guard. Instead of returning to his place, he sat right beside her.
He didn’t want to startle her, not after finally getting her back after so many days. But the space between them had been eating at him. She was sitting so far, as if she didn’t even want to be near him. It made his chest tight, made him restless.
He needed to be closer—just near enough to feel her presence. So, he poured her a glass of juice and gently placed it in frontof her, watching as she slowly resumed eating. His dark eyes softened just slightly.
“Where are you living right now?” he asked. “Grandpa’s been worried.”
More than Grandpa,hehad been the one losing sleep.
He’d searched the entire city, checking if she’d rented an apartment or was staying with a friend—but she had vanished like she’d never existed. The longer he searched, the more anxious he became. He couldn’t shut off the dread. The fear that she’d never come back had consumed him, growing more suffocating with each passing night. Even the exhaustion from his sixteen-hour workdays couldn’t numb it.
He regretted letting her walk out of that suite. That day haunted him. After everything—after she had given herself to him—she was his. The first woman he had ever been with. There was no way he could just let her walk away like that night meant nothing.
Anya’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Please tell Grandpa that I’m fine. I’m staying at a friend’s place. I’m safe. Please tell him not to worry.”