Chapter 9: The Price of Pride
The thick, velvet curtains of the VIP lounge shut out the blinding camera flashes and the suffocating whispers of the ballroom, plunging Natalie and Sebastian into a sudden, heavy quiet.
Natalie stepped away from Sebastian, the warmth of his hand leaving a lingering ache on the small of her back. She walked over to a leather chaise lounge, her emerald silk dress rustling softly against the polished floor. Despite the victory over her family out there, a cold realization was settling into her chest.
"What is mine," she repeated, turning to face him, her eyes flashing beneath the dim amber lighting of the lounge. "You said it out there, and you said it the night I arrived. You protect me because I’m an extension of your brand, Sebastian. Like a newly acquired subsidiary."
Sebastian systematically unbuttoned his tuxedo jacket and slid his hands into his pockets, his posture relaxed yet predatory. "And you find that insulting?"
"I find it transparent," Natalie retorted, crossing her arms. "You played the white knight out there to humiliate the Lopezes, but it wasn't for my honor. It was to show the entire room that you control everything—and everyone—in your orbit."
Sebastian didn't deny it. Instead, he took a slow step toward her, his shadow stretching across the floor. "In this city, appearance is currency, Natalie. Your family thought they could shortchange me by sending an adopted daughter they deemed worthless. Tonight, I showed the board of directors, the media, and your pathetic relatives that I didn't get cheated. I took the better asset."
*Asset.* The word stung, but Natalie refused to let it show. She forced a mocking laugh. "An asset. Is that all I am to you?"
"Right now? Yes," Sebastian said flatly, stopping just inches away from her. The familiar scent of his cologne, sharp and commanding, filled her senses. "But you're an asset with a dangerously sharp tongue. You handled Victoria and Melanie well. Most people would have crumbled under their malice, or worse, begged me to intervene. You held your own."
"I've spent fifteen years holding my own against them," Natalie said quietly, her gaze dropping for a fraction of a second before locking back onto his icy blue eyes. "They spent a decade trying to make me feel small so Melanie could shine. If you think a few petty insults at a charity gala are going to break me, you vastly underestimate what I've survived."
Sebastian studied her face, his gaze tracing the sharp line of her jaw and the fierce, unbroken spirit in her eyes. For a man who dealt in predictability and absolute control, Natalie was a volatile variable. She didn't cower, she didn't flatter him, and she certainly didn't care about his billions.
Slowly, Sebastian reached out, his long fingers brushing a stray dark wave of hair away from her shoulder. His touch was surprisingly gentle, a stark contrast to the coldness of his words. "Perhaps I did. But don't confuse survival with victory, Natalie. You survived the Lopezes because they are weak and careless. I am neither."
His hand moved down to her chin, tilting her face up so she had no choice but to look at him. "Your family is already scrambling. By tomorrow morning, the press will be running stories about how the ruthless Sebastian Vance preferred the elusive, elegant Natalie over the pampered Melanie. The Lopez stock will plummet further, and they will look to you for a lifeline."
Natalie's breath hitched at the proximity, her heart hammering against her ribs. "And what will you do when they beg me to help them?"
A dark, lethal smile touched Sebastian's lips. "I will watch to see if you are truly as ruthless as the man you married. Because if you throw them a lifeline, I will cut it. And I will drag you down with them."
He released her chin, turning back toward the lounge doors as his clinical, robotic demeanor snapped right back into place. "The car is waiting downstairs. We've stayed long enough to make our point. Let the vultures pick apart what's left of your family."
Natalie stood in the center of the quiet room, her skin still tingling where he had touched her. She looked down at the platinum band on her finger. Sebastian thought he had her figured out. He thought she was just a weapon he could wield against his enemies.
But as she followed him out into the night, Natalie made a silent vow. Sebastian Vance wanted to see how ruthless she could be. She was going to show him—and by the time she was done, he would realize that the asset he bought wasn't a pawn at all. It was the queen.
To be Continued...
