Avery's eyes flashed with a desperate cunning. "You know who my dad is, right?" she hissed, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and bravado. "He won't spare you if you hurt me."
A chilling laugh escaped Chris's lips, echoing through the room. His grip on Avery tightened, pulling her firmly against him as she struggled to break free. Leaning close, his lips nearly brushing her ear, he whispered, "You know who my dad is?"
The effect was instantaneous. The previously stoic bodyguards, now disarmed and vulnerable, visibly paled. Terror etched itself across their faces as the implications of Chris's words sank in.
Even Lily felt a shiver run down her spine. Liam Eaton, Chris's father, was a name spoken in hushed whispers. Alleged mafia connections, ruthless business practices, and a reputation for making problems "disappear" made him a figure of both fear and respect in their world.
Avery's struggles ceased, her body going rigid in Chris's grip. The color drained from her face, leaving her looking small and fragile for the first time since Lily had known her.
Chris's chuckle was dark and mirthless as he surveyed the room, drinking in the fear he'd instilled. "I love it when people freak out just hearing Dad's name," he mused, his tone casual but laced with danger. His gaze settled back on Avery, blue eyes piercing. "Isn't that why you wanted an alliance, Avery? A business partnership, a marriage... You needed a strong ally, didn't you?"
The silence that followed was deafening. Lily watched, transfixed, as Avery's carefully constructed facade crumbled completely. The once-proud woman sagged in Chris's arms, all flight leaving her body.
"Of course I did," Avery admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked up at Chris, eyes shining with unshed tears. "Tell me why. Why did you back off?"
Chris's grip on Avery loosened slightly, his voice taking on a softer edge. "Yes, I was flattered by you, Avery. You're a stunning figure, there's no denying that. And your ambition..." He paused, a hint of regret coloring his words. "I thought you were good, initially."
His gaze flickered to Lily, and she felt her breath catch. There was something in his eyes, a warmth she'd never seen before, that made her heart skip a beat.
Turning back to Avery, Chris's voice hardened. "Then I saw you at Lily's party." The memory seemed to reignite his anger. "I got to know how toxic you really are."
'What?! He too was at that party,' Lily thought.
While Avery cringed against Chris's touch, trying to twist around to face him. But Chris held her firmly, his grip unyielding.
"I won't lie," he continued, his voice a low growl. "You're pretty on the outside, with an attractive body. But inside?" His disgust was palpable. "You're too ugly."
The words hung in the air, sharp and cutting. Lily watched as Avery's face crumpled, years of carefully constructed superiority shattering in an instant.
Avery's voice came out as a choked whisper, "You don't mean that. You can't."
Chris's response was immediate and brutal. "I do. Every word."
Lily felt a confusing mix of emotions swirling within her. Satisfaction at seeing her tormentor brought low warred with an unexpected pang of sympathy. She knew all too well the pain of being called ugly, of having your worth reduced to your appearance.
But as she watched Chris defend her, and stand up for her, Lily felt something else blooming in her chest. Something warm and unfamiliar. Something that felt dangerously like hope.
Avery's laughter was sharp and bitter, cutting through the tension in the room. "And you speak about toxicity?!" she spat, her voice dripping with venom. "Your family, the great Eatons, aren't exactly strangers to it, are they? Gangsters, murderers... you're all cut from the same bloody cloth!"
Chris's blue eyes flashed dangerously, his jaw clenching. "Yes, we can be," he admitted, his voice low and controlled. "But we value basic human decency, at least within our family. You, Avery? You lack everything. Compassion, loyalty, kindness – it's all foreign to you. That's why I rejected you."
Avery's demeanor shifted instantly, desperation replacing her earlier bravado. "If that's the case, please don't reject me!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. "I'll try to change myself, be more humanity-oriented. Whatever you say, I'll do it!"
Chris's face hardened, disgust evident in every line. "You don't have to try anything," he growled. With a sudden movement, he shoved Avery away, sending her sprawling onto the floor again.
Towering over her, Chris's voice was ice cold as he delivered his final warning. "Stay away from Lily hereafter. Or else..." He left the threat hanging, but the implications were clear. "You know what the consequences will be."
Without another glance, Chris turned, gently guiding Lily towards the door. As they walked away, Avery's desperate cries echoed behind them.
"Wait, no! You can't abandon me like this!" she shouted, her voice growing more frantic with each step they took. "Chris! Please!"
Lily felt Chris's hand on the small of her back, steady and reassuring as they exited the room. Avery's pleas faded into the background, but the tension in Chris's body was palpable.
As they stepped into the hallway, Lily risked a glance up at Chris. His face was a mask of barely contained fury, jaw clenched and eyes blazing. But when he looked down at her, she saw a flicker of something else – concern, protectiveness, and perhaps... something more.
The door closed behind them, cutting off Avery's final, desperate cry. In the sudden silence, Lily felt as if she'd stepped out of one world and into another – a world where Chris Eaton was her fierce protector, and where nothing would ever be the same again.
As they walked in silence, Lily's mind raced. Chris had been at that party? The one where Avery had humiliated her, broadcasting her shame to the world? She couldn't wrap her head around it.
Was this really why he'd saved her life with the heart transplant? Had he actually liked her for who she was, even then?
All this time, she'd suspected ulterior motives, convinced he meant to harm her family. But what if that wasn't true at all?
A whirlwind of emotions swept through her – confusion, hope, and a tiny spark of something that felt dangerously like affection.
Lily stole a glance at Chris, seeing him in an entirely new light.