Chapter 25

Vivienne’s jaw clenched. ‘I know he was engaged! And I went out with him anyway. So what? You don’t run my life. And I’m not some porcelain doll you can just arrange on a shelf, Elodie.’ ‘Then you should have been prepared for the scene just now.’ Elodie leaned in, her voice a silken whisper laced with steel. ‘That’s the price you pay for inviting your father and Cyrus to my party, dear cousin. Playing with vipers, you’re bound to get bitten.’ Vivienne’s hand itched to slap that smug smirk off Elodie’s face, but a dangerous glint in Elodie’s eyes, sharper than a stiletto blade, stopped her cold. Swearing under her breath, Vivienne spun on her heel and stalked off. *** Dashiell clinked his glass against Ari’s, but his eyes were glued across the yacht deck. Elodie was a whirlwind tonight. Her laughter, easy and genuine, flowed like spilt diamonds, captivating businessmen and politicians alike. Gone was the reclusive nurse he’d married – this Elodie was a panther in silk, her confidence a