Chapter 365
Jonathan and Elmer stood face to face.
One was dressed head–to–toe in black, like a ruthless monarch who’d just stepped out of a Gothic manor at midnight.
The other wore a crisp white suit, radiating the polished glamour of a movie star beneath a spotlight.
They hadn’t even spoken yet. Just the sight of the two men confronting each other made the air around them feel heavy, pressing in on Niamh until she could barely
breathe.
If she could, Niamh would have gladly dragged Elmer out of there.
Nothing good ever came from crossing Jonathan.
But from the look on Elmer’s face, he had no intention of leaving. And Jonathan, with that implacable expression, clearly wasn’t letting them go until he got his
answers.
Jonathan’s eyes were icy, sharp as a knife.
He stared straight at Elmer, hostility written all over his face.
Elmer, for his part, met that cold gaze with a polite smile–one that somehow managed to feel just as dangerous.
The standoff hung in the air until, finally, Jonathan broke the silence.
“What’s your relationship with Niamh?”
His voice was as calm and steady as ever, betraying nothing, utterly at odds with the tension radiating from him.
“I went to high school with Nia,” Elmer replied evenly, his tone unfailingly gentle, no matter who he was speaking to.
“High school friends get to hold your hand?”
The question was aimed at Elmer, but Jonathan’s sharp gaze shifted to Niamh.
It was a challenge.
Niamh realized Elmer hadn’t let go of her hand. But with all these people watching, she didn’t want to pull away and embarrass him.
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She was about to explain herself when Elmer spoke first.
“I heard that Ms. Thornton–Marina–was your high school classmate as well, Mr. Thomas.”
Jonathan’s eyes flicked up.
“She was.”
“So, it’s normal for high school classmates to attend public events on your arm?”
Elmer’s retort made Jonathan’s thin lips twitch with irritation.
After a brief pause, Jonathan shot back, “Dr. White, I don’t recall giving you any say in my personal affairs.”
“Then what gives you the right, Mr. Thomas, to interfere in Nia’s?”
Elmer’s voice remained unfailingly calm, his smile refined, the very picture of old–world charm and confidence.
Jonathan’s expression grew darker, his tone colder.
“I’m her ex–husband.”
He said it with absolute finality.
Elmer didn’t so much as blink, as if he’d expected it all along. He simply extended
his hand to Jonathan.
“Then I ought to thank you, Mr. Thomas.”
Jonathan ignored the handshake, his voice dropping low.
“Thank me for what?”
“For giving us this chance,” Elmer replied, beaming, and then led Niamh right past Jonathan, out of the ballroom.
Jonathan didn’t move.
Right then, his face looked almost frightening–even that trademark half–smile of
his couldn’t soften it.
His head throbbed.
His stomach twisted.
And inside–well, inside he felt thoroughly miserable.
The worst part was, he had no idea why he felt so wretched, why every part of him
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seemed to ache.
He just wanted to leave.
For the first time in his life, Jonathan wanted to slip out of a gala before it was even
over.
Marina, watching him across the room, could see exactly what was going on. Elmer’s arrival had made Jonathan jealous.
Not that she’d ever admit it.
Jonathan, jealous because of Niamh? Impossible.
He didn’t even like her.
Marina tossed back a cocktail, feeling it burn all the way down.
Of course–Jonathan didn’t like Niamh. It didn’t matter if she’d changed, if she was better than ever. He still wouldn’t fall for her. This was just a man’s pride at work, that stubborn ego. It was only natural, she told herself, that Jonathan would feel uncomfortable seeing his ex–wife with someone new.
She kept repeating it, trying to convince herself.
But her thoughts were a tangled, restless mess.
“Trying to play the game and lost, huh?”
Susy appeared at her elbow, handing her another drink.
Marina shot Susy a scathing look.
