Page 99 of Code of Heart

Darcy’s eyes brimmed with unshed tears as she pulled Aurelia into a motherly hug. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. You beat the odds and turned it into something beautiful. I always knew you would.”

Aurelia held her tightly, grateful beyond words for the woman who had once tried to give her a better future.

When they finally parted, Aurelia moved on to meet the representatives from Glow Sticks for the Elderly, who were thrilled about the upcoming rave. Their excitement was contagious, but the second the conversation ended, her stomach reminded her loudly that she hadn’t eaten since her rushed breakfast.

She turned to find a passing server, but instead, she found herself face-to-face with Bertrand Dallingford.

Despite his worsening limp and deepening hunch, his beady yellow eyes remained sharp as ever—sharper, unfortunately, when it came to roving over her body with far too much interest. She tried not to cringe.

“This is a lovely event, Miss Aurelia,” he said, his voice low and oily, his gaze unapologetically fixed on her chest. “I’m particularly looking forward to this rave everyone keeps whispering about.”

Then, in a conspiratorial tone, he leaned closer. “I hear there are special…pills that make those experiences far more pleasurable. I managed to get my hands on a few. Care to join me?”

Aurelia’s stomach flipped for entirely different reasons. “Oh, no. No—no, thank you. I have a job to do,” she said quickly, already stepping out of reach and before he could offer anything further.

What in the world had Eleanor gotten herself involved with to know people like him?

With her appetite gone, she headed for the stage where Charles was waiting, every step helping her push aside the unease Bertrand’s comment stirred in her.

She rose into herself—shoulders back, chin steady—calling on every thread of strength woven into her bones. It was time to open the Harvest Charity Ball—and she would do it like she owned the entire damn night.

CHAPTER 43

Unknown

A cool breeze drifted through the open glass doors, offering the crowded ballroom a brief, natural respite from the stifling heat of packed bodies and too much motion.

At the open bar, the line never seemed to shorten, guests endlessly returning for more, their thirst insatiable. But no drink could ease the dryness they felt tonight.

This wasn’t a thirst of the ordinary kind.

It was something deeper. Hungrier.

No substance on earth could cool the fury in their veins—the parched, unforgiving ache of being robbed of what they had earned.

It clawed at their mind, a maddening, festering frustration that blurred the line between anger and insanity. And maybe…there was no line left at all.

Their gaze never strayed far from Aurelia, tracking her every graceful step as she moved toward the stage. The sight of her in that shimmering gown—a gown she didn’t deserve—made their fingers clench tightly around their drink like a vice.

She had takeneverything.

Every secret she kept, every lie she lived…she took what belonged to them.

They drew in a slow, deliberate breath, masking the storm that churned just beneath the surface.

From the shadowed edge of the ballroom, they nursed their drink and watched as Aurelia made her way toward the DJ booth, ready to take the stage, oblivious to the eyes tracking her every step.

A predator stalking its prey.

Soon. Very soon.

CHAPTER 44

Levi

Levi was genuinely impressed…and a bit horrified by how much food Owen could inhale in one sitting.

Three fully loaded plates from the grazing station had already disappeared, each one stacked higher than the last. It earned him more than a few scandalized looks from Joia City’s high society. But all it took was Owen flashing that Hollywood smile, and their disapproval melted into charmed amusement.