Chapter 170: Make A Run For It
The opulent lobby of the White Blossoms Hotel shimmered under the crystal chandeliers, a stark contrast to the storm brewing in Levi’s heart. He spotted her instantly, just as Justin had described: Anya, perched on a plush velvet chair near the ornate fountain, her gaze darting nervously around the room.
A knot of anger tightened in his stomach. He remembered how frustrated he had felt when she disagreed and how he had spent countless sleepless nights trying to convince Lyse of his honesty. Anya seemed to have disappeared, despite the fact that he had sent people to search for her. Now, here she was, back in his life, a ghost from his past resurrected and not soon enough.
He moved towards her with a determined stride, his face set in a grim mask. He refused to let his emotions betray him. He would not show her the hurt, the confusion, the lingering sense of loss that still clung to him. He would be cold as always, detached, a force to be reckoned with.
Anya’s eyes finally landed on him, and her carefully constructed facade crumbled. The practiced smile faltered, her painted lips trembling slightly. Her eyes, once so full of warmth and laughter, now flickered with a mixture of fear and apprehension. She glanced around the lobby, as if searching for an escape route, a way to vanish into the crowd.
Levi’s pace didn’t falter. He was close enough now to see the subtle signs of her unease: the way she nervously twisted a strand of her hair around her finger, the rapid rise and fall of her chest beneath her silk blouse.
"Don’t even think about it," he warned, his voice low and menacing. The words hung in the air between them, a stark warning. "If you try to make a run for it, my men will handle you roughly."
Anya’s breath hitched. She knew that tone, that icy edge in his voice. It was the sound of a man pushed to his limits, a man on the verge of snapping. The carefully rehearsed excuses she had prepared evaporated from her mind, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable.
"Levi," she began, her voice barely a whisper. She tried to force a smile, a desperate attempt to diffuse the tension that crackled between them. "I... I didn’t expect to see you here."
"Really?" Levi’s lips curled into a sardonic smile. "Because I’m sure that I made it perfectly clear that I was not finished with you."