?Chapter 101:


    “You’re heartless, you know that? I was falling apartst night, and you still kicked me out. Not even a little scared I might just end up in someone else’s bed?” Cole said, eyes narrowing.


    Elliana didn’t think he’d y victim. She rolled her eyes. “Oh please, weren’t you already drooling over that whore?”


    “I wasn’t!” Cole retorted, his voice cracking under the weight of frustration. “I spent the entire night freezing under a shower, trying to get my head straight!”


    Caught off guard, Elliana opened her mouth, but no words came. He would rather soak in a cold shower all night than hook up with someone else. He had more self-control than she ever realized. At her silence, Cole reached over and gave her waist a sharp pinch. Her tiny flinch gave him the tiniest win.


    The truth? He’d had his share of reckless thoughtsst night. But he had shut every one of them down. He was scared that if he slipped up, Elliana would think he was tainted when she finally came around. By then, he’d have no way to fix it.


    “That woman in red? She was a prop, nothing more,” Cole exined. “I just wanted to get under your skin. We didn’t do a damn thing.”


    Elliana narrowed her eyes. “Oh please. Her foot went right up your leg and you didn’t even twitch. You were loving it.”


    Cole retorted, “I struggled to rein it in. I felt like dislocating her knee!”


    “Wow. Okay,” Elliana replied, eyebrows lifting. Then, she cracked up,ughter spilling out before she could stop it.


    Cole finally smiled, rxing a little. “She barely touched my sock, not even skin contact. I am still clean. When we get back, I’ll toss those socks and hit the shower like I’m prepping for surgery. That work for you?”


    She believed Cole was like a whirlwind of ups and downs. One minute, he came off like some bold big shot. The next, he turned into an anxious boy, caught up in every single thought.


    Crossing her arms with a flick of defiance, Elliana sneered, “What do I care if you’re clean? I said itst night—I don’t like you, and I sure as hell don’t want yourst name.”


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    “I know you didn’t mean your words,” Cole remarked, tilting his head with a sly smile tugging at his lips.


    Without waiting for a reaction, he dipped in and stole a kiss that was anything but subtle. The move stunned her—she was moments fromshing out, but the sudden weight in his expression made her freeze.


    “I blew it yesterday,” Cole said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I rushed in like a fool, expecting something real to grow out of thin air. We barely know each other. You’re into me, but not enough to wear my name yet—am I right?”


    Elliana didn’t reply, but the faint nod and tight press of her lips said it all. That first meeting? It hit her like static—brief, sharp, and impossible to ignore. Everything about him drew her in, just like he’d guessed. Raw maism. Nothing more. His looks, his sharp suits, the effortless charm—yeah, she noticed all of it. Hard not to. Still, being impressed wasn’t the same as falling. She never let herself blur that line. To her,mitment wasn’t casual—it meant forever, or not at all.


    “How about we don’t rush it this time?” Cole leaned in, a softer look in his eyes now. “People don’t just fall in love overnight. It takes time, and I’m okay with that. If you’re not ready, then I’ll take it slow. I’ll win you over the long way.”


    Elliana stared at him, stunned. From a man like Cole, this wasn’t what she expected. Her throat tightened, but no words came. A silence hung before she finally whispered, “What if I’m never ready?”


    “I’ll wait as long as it takes,” he said, no hesitation in sight.


    “And what if I ultimately decide to walk away?” she asked, her voice barely audible.


    “That choice is yours to make,” he said simply.


    The words stopped Elliana in her tracks—it wasn’t the kind of sweeping line she’d seen y out in dramas. Guys in dramas would’ve dropped to one knee by now or thrown out some desperate plea not to leave. They’d promise the stars, the fight, the forever. But Cole? He gave her calm permission. No begging. No grand act. Maybe that meant he didn’t love her as deeply as she thought. Or maybe he just wasn’t the reckless, hearts-on-sleeves type. He was measured. He was proud.


    She grasped that real love wasn’t scripted. No sweeping soundtrack, no perfectly timed tears. For someone like Cole to admit he’d chase her and build something real? That already felt like his version of a deration. She wanted to ask for space. Just a little time to figure things out.


    But Cole didn’t wait. “You don’t owe me anything,” he said, voice low and certain. “If you need to go, go. Anywhere. Just let me be the one beside you. I’ll fund the trip, do the dirty work, and raise the kids if we have any. You won’t lift a finger.”


    Elliana’s palm flew to her chest before she even realized it. Her heart pounded like it had caught up to a moment her brain hadn’t processed yet. Just a second ago, she was thinking Cole was far too logical and full of himself. Now, a singlement from him had herpletely thrown off, herposure nowhere in sight. This man was dangerously smooth, and she was slipping fast.


    Elliana sat frozen, dazed, watching as he leaned in. Everything around her faded into a blur. Then came the heat of his lips—firm, certain. He pulled her into him, and just like that, her instincts to resist vanished.


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