?Chapter 98:


    The woman, now stripped bare, had shed every trace of her seductive allure. No one was eyeing her hungrily anymore—just grimacing.


    Elliana, however, remained effortlesslyposed. Tossing aside her apron revealed a knockout silhouette so breathtaking that it froze every gaze in ce.


    A ripple of bewilderment passed through the crowd as people exchanged looks—what the hell had just happened?


    Myles was the first to recover, snatching a tablecloth and rushing over to shield the woman.


    Blindsided by Elliana’s fearless confession, the woman crumbled, her pride in shreds. She turned toward Cole, her voice shrill and desperate as she whimpered for sympathy, “Mr. Evans, that lowly waitress just snapped—she’s trying to steal you from me! Out of pure jealousy, she tore my dress and threw boiling soup on me! You have to do something about this!”


    Gasps rippled through the crowd as all eyes swiveled to Elliana. No one expected the gentle waitress to turn savage like that. Over a man, no less. She’d just gone full rogue. Then again, who could me her? Cole was rich, ruthless, and infuriatingly handsome. Women going unhinged for a guy like that? Par for the course.


    The crowd swallowed the woman’s sob story whole—everyone except Cole. He wasn’t fooled for a second. He knew Elliana far too well. He still remembered the night he’d tried to sneak into her bed stark naked, only for her to boot him out like yesterday’s trash. She’d made it brutally clear she didn’t want him.


    As far as he was concerned, the woman had earned her public takedown the moment she decided to mess with Elliana. He saw straight through the drama, but instead of calling the woman out, he turned to Elliana with a knowing smirk. “Mind telling us what really happened, miss?”


    Elliana gave Cole a slow once-over, a teasing smirk ying at the corners of her mouth. “Your date warned me you’de after me if Iid a finger on her. I’m the curious sort, so I decided to test her theory. Figured I’d find out just how far you’d go.”


    Gasps rippled through the crowd. That was her exnation?


    Cole let out a lowugh. His wife was truly something else. She was sassy and fiery—and he couldn’t get enough.


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    Elliana cocked her head, her gaze sharp and unflinching. “You asked what I thought of your date earlier. Well, here it is. She’s absolute garbage.”


    Elliana snapped, her voice sharp enough to draw blood. “Some cheap whore who runs her mouth like it’s worth something. That’s the kind of woman you unt in front of me? What the hell is wrong with you? Scraping the bottom of the barrel, or just having such lousy taste?” She tilted her head with a venomous smile. “Or maybe your instincts led you to this specific type?”


    Cole’s expression turned thunderous, but Elliana kept going, unfazed. “Didn’t even blink when she slid her foot up your leg. Wow. You are really into her. Gotta say, that’s pathetic. Your taste is disastrous.”


    The crowd froze, stunned into silence, their wide eyes fixed on Elliana. No one had ever dared speak to Cole that way before. She was done for. After this, she might not walk away whole.


    Cole’s jaw clenched, his features hardening into something cial and dangerous, the kind of look that could make a room go still.


    The diner fell into a stunned hush, the tension so dense that it felt like trying to breathe underwater with no way up.


    Hailee and Briggs stood stock-still, pulses thudding in their ears.


    Elliana, riding the rush, was in fullmand now—ferocious, untouchable, and far from finished. “You sound like some washed-up ex whining about women leading you on and walking away.” She scoffed, her voice sharp as shattered ss. “Men like you—ignorant, oblivious—get exactly what they earn. The woman you fantasize about wouldn’t even look your way.”


    She let the silence simmer and then struck the final blow. “I’m guessing even your own wife’s sick of the sight of you. Even if you slipped some love potion and crawled into her bed buck-naked, she’d still kick your sorry ass.”


    Aron and Hugh both inhaled sharply, their eyes bugging. How the hell did this woman know about Cole’s most embarrassing screw-up? Could she read minds?


    Myles pushed his sses up the bridge of his nose, gaze sharpening like he was connecting dots no one else saw.


    Meanwhile, the woman blinked in disbelief, her outragepletely forgotten. She’d expected Elliana to only throw shade at her and not take on Cole. Was Elliana reckless or just suicidal?


    “You done?” Cole asked in a quiet, dangerous tone.


    Elliana lifted her chin, eyes locked on his, defiant to the core. She’d braced for this the moment she tore into the woman—if Cole came at her, she’d go blow for blow without hesitation. It wasn’t like she wanted a war with him, but now that…


    With everything out in the open, she had no reason to hold back. If it came down to a brawl, she was dying to see who’d walk away standing.


    Cole’s gaze dropped to Elliana’s balled-up fists, his expression impossible to read. Without warning, he closed the distance, seized her chin, and tilted her face to his.


    Everyone tensed, ready for Cole to snap at her. But he did the opposite. He leaned in, his gaze burning into hers, his mouth so close that it made her breath hitch. What came out of his mouth left everyone stunned.


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