Chapter 55

Eliana had no intention of dragging out the pointless debate over Tristan's alleged girlfriend, so she moved to end things. "It's getting late. You're a busy man-you should be on your way."

"I'm hot in a hurry," Tristan replied smoothly."My coffee's not finished yet."

Her knuckles tightened as she fought the urge to punch his smug face. "Then finish it quickly," she said through cenched teeth.

Every extra second with him felt like testing the limits of her own patience-and her restraint.

Back when they first met, she hadn't pegged him as this shameless. Somehow, each meeting only seemed to strip away more of his restraint. Perhaps that explained why he and Jermaine were brothers-they were cut from the same irritating cloth.

At least Jermaine spoke like a normal person before pulling something indecent. Tristan's style was different -he kept his actions clean while making his words unbearable.

Either way, she had no fondness for either man.

With deliberate leisure, Tristan shrugged into his jacket, then settled back into his seat as if the evening belonged to him.

A single sip touched his lips before he set the cup back down.

He then said casually, "That reminds me. I forgot to ask-did you happen to visit the Glory Hotel in Eighvale about a year ago?"

The words came with a gaze that pinned her in place, watching for even the faintest flicker of reaction.

Her brows drew together. "A year ago? What's this about?"

"Just answer me, or I might make this coffee last all night," Tristan said. Biting back her irritation, she replied evenly,"1go there often. I like the hot springs there. Hot springs are good for recovery, especially for someone who trains physically. WNhy does it matter?"

Her voice stayed steady, and her face revealed nothing-no guilt,no nerves.

Even after admitting she'd been to the hotel, her answer didn't seem to satisfy him.

Maybe too much time had passed, and she had let the memory fade? Still, that felt unlikely.

For something like that, Tristan believed a girl would carry the memory for the rest of her life.

He certainly did. That day still found its way into his dreams more often than he cared to admit.

The haze of the moment had kept her face hidden, but the feeling it left behind had never slipped away.

Maybe he'd þeen wrong all along, and Eliana wasn't the woman he had been searching for.

The idea stirred a mess of emotions inside him.

That mysterious girl had burned herself into his memory, yet meeting Eliana had pulled him toward her in a way he couldn't quite explain.

A quiet part of him wanted her to be the same person. And his instincts insisted she was.

Refusing to let the matter drop, he asked again, "When you visited, did anything... out of the ordinary happen?"

Her brows knit in confusion."Out of the ordinary? What exactly are you asking?"

"Anything at all," Tristan said lightly. "Just making conversation."

Whatever patience she had left snapped. Her hand shot out, grabbing his coffee cup and tipping it onto the tray with a sharp clink. "Nothing unusual or strange. But you are certainly a strange one. Planning to make yourself at home here forever?"

Before he could answer, his phone buzzed on the table. Rocco's name flashed on the screen. He didn't usually call unless something was wrong. Tristan answered, cutting in before his friend could speak. "I'll be there shortly."

The call ended as he rose to his feet and he said to Eliana, "Apologies for barging in today. Don't forget our arrangement.I'4l send a car for you when the exhibition comes around."

Without waiting for her reply, he turned and walked out.

As Tristan's figure vanished through the coffee room door, Eliana exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Turning away from the table, she left the room and made her way upstairs to check on Stella.

After a full day of activity, Stella would need acupuncture to help ease her tension.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Sawyer had just finished seeing the last guests out and was heading toward the stairs for a long, hot shower when Tristan's tall frame appeared in the hallway.

An involuntary twitch pulled at Sawyer's eyelid as he stepped forward. "Mr. Pearson, you're still around?"

Tristan's mouth curved intoa faint smile. "Had a little talk with Eliana, that's all."

While speaking, his fingers drifted casually to his collar.

The small gesture drew Sawyer's eyes-and that was when he noticed the black shirt missing a button.

For someone of Tristan's stature, showing up to a formal banquet with a shirt in that state seemed unlikely unless the damage had happened tonight.

The thought sent Sawyer's gaze upward justin time to catch Eliana hurrying up the stairs.

An assumption formed almost instantly, and it wasn't a modest one. He didn't expect her to be so forward.

Still, with his entire family fond of Tristan, Sawyer found himself thinking it wouldn't be such a bad match.

"Hey, Sawyer?" Tristan's voice cut into his thoughts.

The sound jolted Sawyer back to the present. Composure sliding back into place, he replied with a polite smile, "What can I do for you, Mr.Pearson?" "I was thinking," Tristan said with a faint smirk, "we're the same age and move in the same circ'es0drop the formalities? Call me Tristan, and I'll call you Sawyer."

"Well..."Sawyer hesitated, uncertain If that was wise.

Even at their strongest, the Murray family hadn't reached the Pearson family's level of influence.

And now, with the Murrays facing hardship, the gap felt wider than ever.

After all, plenty of people would consider it an honor to call Tristan by his name.

Tristan didn't give Sawer the option to refuse. His hand came down in a light pat on Sawyer's shoulder."You've had a long day-go get some rest. I've got a few things to take care of, soI'll be heading out.P'stop by again sometime."

Without waiting for a reply, he crossed the hall in long, confident strides.

Thoughts spun quickly through Sawyer's head.

They had only met a handful of times, and though they weren't friends, he had learned enough to know Tristan's nature.

Friendliness for the sake of small talk wasn't Tristan's style.

Sawyer couldn't shake the thought that-Tristan's friendliness might have more to do with Eliana than with him.

His mind jumped back to the banquet, remembering how Tristan had reappeared from outside with Eliana by his side-Carl claiming they'd gotten lost.

Yet tonight, Tristan left without a single mention.of losing his way. That alone told Sawyer the man knew exactly where he was going.

Pieces that once felt scattered now fit together neatly./

The idea settled in Sawyer's mind: the Murray family could be preparing for a wedding soon.

But the thought of his father still sitting in a prison cell stole the shine from that vision. Would Louis even get the chance to watch Eliana walk down the aisle?

Two days slipped by before he had time to dwell on it further.

During that time, Leyla busied herself with outings among her closest friends-afternoons at the spa,lunches at fashionable cafés-hoping to catch whispers of gossip about the Murray family.

She expected to hear snickers about a lavish banquet that barely drew any guests.

But the silence on the matter stretched on for two full days.

Eventually,she could no longer keep up the act.

At lunch, she let out a sigh that sounded almost unplanned.

Two elegantly dressed women across the table immediately glanced her way.

"Leyla, what's the matter?" one asked.

Her head tilted as Leyla gave a faint smile tinged with bitterness."O, nothing... I'm just feeling low."

"And why's that?" the other asked.

With another breath, Leyla let her voice soften. "It's because of the Murray family. They threw me out for Eliana's sake, but even after all that, I never felt hatred toward them. They raised me, after all, and I'll always be grateful for that."