Chapter 158

• The elevator doors slid shut with a soft hiss, sealing Howard and Charlotte in the intimate glow of golden lights. They stood side by side, her golden-silver gown brushing his tuxedo leg, the air thick with unspoken tension. Howard's face was a mask of controlled anger—not raging but simmering, his jaw clenched tight, blue eyes fixed on the glowing floor numbers. His hands flexed at his sides, knuckles white. Charlotte glanced at him from the corner of her eye, reading him like an open book after months of marriage. She knew that look: possessive, raw, the kind that hid hurt beneath the surface.
• She tried to lighten the mood, forcing a playful smile as her crimson lips curved. "Five million for me? I never knew I was so costly," she joked softly, nudging his arm with her elbow, her voice light but probing.
• Howard whipped toward her in an instant, his body moving like a predator closing in. One hand shot out, pressing flat against the elevator wall beside her head, caging her in. The other gripped her waist firmly, pinning her back against the cool metal. He loomed over her, his six-foot frame towering, face inches from hers. His blue eyes bored into her hazel ones, stormy with intensity, nostrils flaring slightly. "You're really going on a date with some other man if I haven't paid?" he growled low, voice rough and edged with accusation. The words hung heavy, laced with something deeper—fear, ownership, and vulnerability flashing raw in his gaze.