Just You Wait and See!

Evangeline’s icy, cutting words sent immediate murmurs rippling through the elite crowd. The heavy weight of public opinion shifted in a heartbeat, turning sharply against Macy's spoiled, ungraceful behavior.

"Is she serious?" a woman whispered loudly.

"Who does she think she is?" another muttered. "She's spoiled rotten by her family, but we aren't obliged to humor her."

Macy’s face turned an ugly shade of crimson. Humiliated and blinded by sheer fury, she lost her composure. She threw away all pretense of high-society grace, lunging forward with outstretched claws aimed right at Evangeline’s face.

Evangeline did not flinch. She merely sidestepped with effortless, fluid grace. Her movement was a calculated dance step, causing Macy to grab nothing but empty air. Macy hit the polished marble floor with a loud, sickening thud.

The entire ballroom gasped.

Evangeline offered a helpless, exaggerated wave of her hands. "Everyone saw that, right? I didn't even lay a single finger on her."

She bent down gracefully beside the groaning girl. Leaning in close, she dropped her voice into a sickly sweet, venomous whisper meant only for her attacker's ears. "I know exactly that it was you who knocked me into the pool just now, Macy. If you dare mess with me again, I promise you that your beloved Lucian will be the very first to know."

Straightening up swiftly, Evangeline flashed a terrifyingly bright smile for the stunned onlookers. "Want me to help you up, Miss Thorne?"

Pale, shaking, and terrified by the lethal promise burning in Evangeline's eyes, Macy scrambled frantically to her feet. She covered her face and fled the room in tears.

From a quiet, shadowed distance, Dominic watched the scene unfold. He had expected the supposedly uneducated country girl to be a passive, weeping doormat buckling under the immense pressure of high society. Instead, he found himself pleasantly surprised by her ruthless efficiency. A faint, uncharacteristic smile touched his lips as his dark eyes critically appraised his unexpectedly interesting, fierce prey.

Thoroughly bored with the tedious, petty farce of the evening, Evangeline turned to face a rigidly polite Paige. "I'm sorry, Miss Mercer, but it is finally time for me to leave."

"Sorry for what happened just now," Paige replied, her voice dripping with feigned friendliness, though her eyes remained cold.

Evangeline pivoted on her heel.

*Riiip.*

A loud, undeniable tear echoed directly behind her. The fragile back zipper of her aging dress popped open under the sudden strain. Cursing her rotten luck, Evangeline quickly clutched the heavy velvet fabric to her chest. She had to keep the dress from falling away and exposing her to the crowd. Even without turning around, she could easily imagine Paige's gloating, victorious sneer right behind her back.

Standing beside her, Lucian immediately reached up. He moved to smoothly remove his suit jacket to cover her bare skin.

But Dominic moved with terrifying, predatory speed. He was much faster. Firmly draping his own heavy, expensive suit coat over her shivering shoulders, Dominic's deep, authoritative voice cut cleanly through the suffocating tension in the room.

"What's wrong with your dress?" he demanded softly.

Still clutching the velvet fabric, she admitted quietly, "My back zipper popped open."

Dominic darted a knowing, razor-sharp look directly at Paige. He instantly deduced the true culprit behind the sabotage.

"Since that's the case, we'll be leaving first," he declared with firm finality.

Caught off guard by his sudden, commanding appearance and the chilling, protective tone he directed at the ugly girl, Paige scrambled desperately to salvage her ruined night.

"Why don't you let someone else escort Evangeline home instead, Dominic?" she pleaded, her voice thick with desperation. "I've just returned from abroad, and I haven't even danced with you today!"

"There's no need for that," Dominic replied flatly. He turned his broad back on her, cutting off any further argument. "I'll send you home," he commanded Evangeline.

Deeply surprised by his unprecedented public protection, she silently agreed.

As they walked away together, Finley yelled after them in disbelief. "Are you leaving, Dominic?" His eyes darted to the oversized jacket. "Hey, you better know what's good for you, you ugly woman! Don't dare hit on my brother!"

Evangeline rolled her eyes so hard they hurt. She desperately wished she could just melt into the floor and disappear rather than endure the humiliating, burning stares of the crowd and Paige's murderous glare. Yet, Dominic remained stony-faced and immovable. He left her no choice but to awkwardly clutch his warm coat tightly around her shoulders and follow his confident strides.

Left standing awkwardly behind, Lucian stared intently at Evangeline's receding figure. His own unused jacket remained tightly clutched in his hands. An inexplicable, heavy pang tightened his chest. Why was his usually cold brother being so uncharacteristically kind to her? A trace of bitterness settled over his features as he wondered if Dominic was simply fulfilling their grandfather's requests.

Meanwhile, Paige trembled with bitter, consuming rage. The edges of her vision blurred as she watched them leave through the grand double doors. Consumed by dark jealousy, she fiercely glared at the retreating girl.

*You're nothing but an ugly and uneducated country bumpkin!* Paige screamed in her mind. *What makes you think you can steal Dominic from me? You won't get off so easily, Evangeline Ashford! Just you wait and see!*