Episode 73
Frustrated and gruff, he gave her a gentle slap on the butt. “You asked for this! You’ve made yourself sick. Are you satisfied now?” Flushing with embarrassment and burning with fury, Elizabeth lifted her hand and delivered a sharp slap across Elijah’s face. The impact was light, yet it resonated with a sting that struck deeply at his core. As his features contorted in anger, Elijah’s grip on her wrist became unyielding, his expression darkening ominously. His voice emerged as a venomous hiss through clenched teeth. “Elizabeth!” Recent times had seen Elizabeth slapping him for the smallest provocation, testing his temper. For years, Elijah had commanded respect and instilled fear across the corporate world. Yet here he was, reduced to a mere pawn in Elizabeth’s hands.
Her wrist reddened under the pressure of his hold, and she responded with fierce defiance, “What now? Going to strike me? Is ignoring me not enough that you’ve resorted to physical threats?” “Do you doubt I would?” Elijah snarled, releasing her wrist only to encircle her throat with his hand, tightening his grip. Gasping for air, Elizabeth could no longer speak, but her glare was lethal—full of unwavering defiance. Her complexion seemed pale and lifeless, with redness clinging stubbornly to her weary eyes. A tear escaped, searing his skin as it traced a path down her face. Elijah was abruptly pulled back to the present, keenly aware of how far he had let himself be carried away.
How could he, a man renowned for his composure in the most perilous situations, have been so unsettled by Elizabeth’s mere words? He let go of her abruptly, slid up the car partition with a sharp motion, and issued a brisk command to Oliver, his voice laced with frost. “Head to Bayview Villa.” Oliver, whose forehead was slick with sweat from the palpable tension, was perplexed by Elijah’s apparent misstep but responded promptly, “Yes, sir.” He then set the vehicle in motion. Elizabeth, gasping for air, managed to sit up and leaned heavily against the car door, creating as much space as she could between herself and Elijah. Her eyes darted around, filled with suspicion and caution.
