My breath stalled.
Demian had just lost his empire.
And I was standing beside the man who took it.
I turned to look at him.
The music played on
But no one was dancing
Phones lit up buzzing all around.
The murmurs soon swept across the room.
Then silence followed
Across the room Demian stood frozen in place. The color drained from his face.
His phone clutched in his ear.
" That's not possible," he said sharply " We would have been notified"
His jaw tightened
" When was this filed?"
Inside the VIP booth
" How is this possible?" I asked
He adjusted his cufflinks, calm and composed, like a man who just signed a routine document rather than dismantling an empire.
" Timing " he said " Is everything"
No explanation,
No stories
Just efficiency.
I steadied my expression.
Indeed, he was the King of Sun City. No ordinary man would have done this.
Not so soon.
Just one statement was capable of ruining the Legaspis.
Demian stomped over to the booth.
He didn't look at me first.
He looked at Elijah.
" What is the meaning of this?" Demian asked
" Mr. Legaspi" Elijah greeted like this was some scheduled meeting.
" Cancel it," Demian barked " Whatever this was , cancel it"
" I don't follow" Elijah said calmly
" You planned this"
" I took an opportunity." Elijah replied
" Sixty-two percent isn't an opportunity. That's a hostile takeover."
" A majority acquisition" Elijah corrected mildly
Demian's jaw tensed up
" Eliza, leave. I want to discuss something important with Mr. Sterling"
I turned to look at Elijah.
" She stays" Elijah said coldly
" Did you do this because of her?" Demian glared at me.
" Eliza Stone isn't worth any of this, trust me . I just dumped her"
" To think I am like you should never cross your mind again" Elijah placed his phone down.
" This is purely business" Elijah added
" Then you've been buying shares behind my back"
" The market is public Mr. Legaspi, nothing was hidden"
" Then why wasn't I aware of this?" Demian raised his voice
Around us phones continued to record.
" Then you waited till tonight"
" Yes"
Demian's mouth opened in shock. The calm acknowledgement was enough to knock him off his high horse.
" You used her ?"
" Mr. Legaspi, your personal decisions destabilized investor's confidence in you, long before I entered the picture"
" Stay out of my private life"
" Sadly, the market is perceptive"
Silence lingered on.
Demian's composure cracked.
" Buying my company shares does not make you its owner" He snapped " Buying shares doesn't make you powerful."
Elijah stood up.
The air shifted instantly.
Onlookers held their breath.
He wasn't angry.
His expression changed
" No" he replied " It makes me a majority shareholder. Which means as of tonight Legaspi Corps will answer to Sterling Group"
The words were more like a verdict. The crowd gasped nearby.
Demian went still.
" You don't get to walk away with everything I built" Demian's voice was low as one suppressing his anger.
" Then protect what you own better"
Demian's hand curled into a fist. I almost thought he would strike. His eyes shifted to me suddenly.
" Eliza, did you warm his bed?"
Before I could answer, Elijah responded
" Careful"
His voice was soft yet somewhat threatening.
" Miss Stone does not have to answer to you."
The finality of it stunned me.
Demian scoffed
" Do you even know who you just aligned with?" he said to me.
" This isn't over Mr. Sterling"
" I wasn't expecting it to be Mr. Legaspi" Elijah responded coldly.
Demian stomped out of the booth. Everyone moved for him to pass through. It wasn't out of respect, it was out of pity.
" You destroyed him" I whispered.
" I acquired an asset" he took his seat.
" And tonight, so did you" He turned to look at me.
My phone buzzed again
Breaking News: Sterling Heiress-to-be seen with Mr. Sterling during historic takeover.
My mouth fell open.
My breath caught in my throat.
My face was all over the media again.
This wasn't revenge anymore. This was alignment.
Julie launched at me.
" Eliza"
She was panting hard. She steadied one hand on her chest.
" Did you have to run?" I asked
" Mr. Rapha wants to see us tomorrow," Julie said barely above whisper.
She turned her gaze to the left and saw Elijah.
She flinched.
She instinctively pulled me aside.
" Eliza, that is Elijah Sterling?"
" Yes," I said softly " That's him"
" Why is he with you?"
" Look at your phone Julie"
She immediately tapped on one of the headlines.
" Eliza , you"
A man in a black suit walked towards us.
" Miss Stone , it's time to leave"
He gestures for us to follow him. Julie and I looked at each other before following him to the secret exit of the Club.
His Rolls-Royce phantom was definitely out of place in the parking lot.
" Miss Julie, I'll drop you off" The young man said
I nodded my head signalling Julie to follow him.
I took a deep breath.
Then entered his car.
" Took you long enough"
" Go"
The car started
" Did you do this because of me?"
" What do you think?"
I got my answer. It was obviously foolish of me to think a man who barely knows me would do that. I steadied myself in my seat.
I looked outside.
This didn't look like the way to my house.
" This isn't the way to my place"
" True"
" Where are we going?"
" Home…"
" But…"
" Your place isn't safe"
My gaze shifted to him " How.. how do you know about that?"
" Nothing is hidden in Sun city"
My heart dropped to my stomach. My pulse raced.
Who was this man? What have I gotten myself into?
The iron gates opened silently. The mansion beyond us looked less like a home and more like a private empire. Ragal Regency VIP was no doubt the richest neighborhood in Sun City.
" I can stay in a hotel for the time being"
He stopped in his tracks.
He looked back at me.
A faint smirk touched his lips. " Elijah Sterling has no shortage of women…I won't touch you unless you want me to."
Elijah leans forward. lips almost touching mine "So… do you?"
Heat crept to my neck. My cheeks burned red.
If I stepped forward , there would be no room for turning back.