Chapter 268
No.1
The corridor leading to the terrace was dimly lit by antique wall sconces. The heavy velvet curtains muffled the music from the ballroom.
Elisa leaned her shoulder against a cold marble pillar. She reached down and gently rubbed her aching ankle, feeling the strain of standing in heels for hours.
At the far end of the hallway,Harrison Browning's wheelchair rolled over the thick carpet. The electric motor hummed quietly in the empty space.
Elisa heard the sound. She immediately stood up straight. She took a polite half-step backward,pressing herself closer to the wall to clear the path.
As Harrison rolled past her, the front wheel of his chair caught the thick, curled edge of an ornamental rug. The chair jerked violently to the side.
No.2
Harrison's body pitched forward. He lost his balance,gravity pulling him toward the hard floor.
"Careful!" Elisa shouted.
Her body reacted purely on muscle memory. She lunged forward with explosive speed. She grabbed Harrison's upper arms, her hands locking perfectly under his joints. She absorbed his falling weight and gently pushed him back into the center of the
leather seat, preventing any strain on his fragile shoulders.
"Thank you, young lady," Harrison gasped,catching his breath. He slowly lifted his head to look at the woman who caught him.
No.3
The dim light from the sconce hit Elisa's face.
Harrison's cloudy eyes widened instantly. His pupils dilated.
He stared into her calm, piercing, and completely detached eyes. At the exact same moment,he felt the undeniable, precise strength in her grip. It wasn't the soft, hesitant touch of a socialite;it was the calculated, unyielding pressure of a seasoned medical professional. And then, the faint but distinct scent of her personal artisan lavender and white tea hand cream hit his olfactory senses-the exact same scent that had anchored him to the living world as his heart was failing.
"It's you..." Harrison whispered. His voice shook.He reached out and wrapped his bony fingers tightly around Elisa's wrist.
Elisa froze. She tried to gently pull her arm back."Sir, are you injured? Do you need a doctor?"
No.4
"That day in the Manhattan General ER," Harrison said,his grip tightening. "The woman kneeling on the stretcher, breaking my ribs to keep my heart beating.It was you."
Elisa's eyes widened in genuine shock. She had not expected this powerful billionaire to recognize her
purely by touch and smell in a dark hallway.
"That was my duty as a nurse, Mr. Browning," Elisa said softly. She did not deny it.
Harrison's eyes filled with hot, angry tears."They told me a woman named Allena saved me. It was a disgusting lie."
No.5
"What is your name, child?" Harrison demanded."Why did you let her steal your honor?"
Elisa looked down at the carpet. "My name is Elisa Wilder. Correcting the record would require a price I cannot currently afford to pay."
Harrison was a veteran of corporate warfare. He instantly decoded the use of her maiden name and the heavy implication of suppression. He knew exactly what the Chambers family was capable of.
He let out a furious snort. "In my house, the true savior hides in the shadows while a thief parades at the head table.I will not allow this."
Harrison pulled her wrist. "Walk with me. Tonight,you will sit exactly where you belong."
No.6
Elisa hesitated, but the absolute command in the old man's eyes left no room for refusal. She nodded slowly.
Harrison turned his wheelchair around. Elisa walked by his side, her midnight blue dress sweeping the floor as they headed back into the blinding light of the ballroom.
Inside, Allena was desperately trying to laugh with a group of wives, trying to cover up her ealier
humiliation.
She casually glanced toward the entrance. Her eyes locked onto the doorway.
No.7
Her pupils shrank to pinpricks. Her jaw dropped open.
Harrison Browning, the undisputed king of the gala,was personally escorting Elisa across the floor. He led her directly toward the center VIP table.
Allena's hand jerked in pure panic. The champagne in her glass sloshed over the rim, spilling sticky alcohol all over her expensive red dress.
A few feet away, August saw them too. His brow furrowed into a deep, confused knot. He could not comprehend how his discarded wife had managed to align herself with the most powerful man in the room.
A cold, suffocating terror wrapped around Allena's throat. If Harrison knew the truth, her entire fabricated life was about to burn to the ground.