Chapter 80
Chapter 80:
Heat spread across Luna’s cheek before her mind could catch up with what had happened. Fury surged through her, and she hurled the contents of her glass straight at Kristine. “You — how dare you lay a hand on me p>
Without hesitation, another crisp slap struck her other cheek.
Wine ran cold and sticky down Luna’s face and neck. She blinked hard, struggling to clear her vision. Her false lashes had come loose and were sticking awkwardly to her eyelids.
Through the haze, she saw Kristine — completely unbothered — carefully dabbing at the crimson stains on her gown before turning to a nearby server. “Please bring me a change of clothes p>
Then she turned and walked away without a backward glance.
Forgetting entirely about her own disheveled state, Luna shouted after her. “Kristine! Come back here this instant! Don’t you dare take another step p>
In her rush to follow, her heels betrayed her, and she slammed hard into the floor.
Onlookers stared openly. Not a single person moved to help.
After several clumsy struggles, Luna finally forced herself upright and peeled the loose lashes from her eyes.
𝘑𝘰𝗶𝘯 𝘰𝘂𝘳 co𝗆𝗆𝘶ո𝗂𝘁у 𝘰n ѕ.𝗰𝗼𝗺
By then, Kristine was nowhere in sight.
Guided by the server, Kristine slipped into a secluded lounge. Moments later, a replacement dress arrived. Though understated, it was refined and far more practical than the elaborate gown — its cut allowed ease of movement without sacrificing elegance.
She had barely removed the original dress when the soft click of the lock sounded behind her.
“Someone p>
The warning never finished.
The door swung open slowly to reveal Colton standing in the frame, tall and unmistakable. He clearly had not anticipated finding anyone inside. The moment he registered Kristine, he stepped in quickly and shut the door, shielding her from any passing eyes.
She clutched the original gown against her chest.
He could have simply walked away instead of coming in.
“What are you changing for?” His eyes lingered briefly on the exposed curve of her shoulder before he looked away, swallowing.
“Wine spilled on it,” Kristine replied, her composure steady.
That was not a lie. Deep red stains were plainly visible across the fabric.
Colton studied the marks and frowned. “How could you be this careless p>
He had intended to stand before the entire company tonight and announce Kristine as the woman he would marry. At a moment this significant, a misstep like this felt intolerable.
Kristine drew in a sharp breath.
The moment he realized the spill had been deliberate, she knew she would never make it out of the building.
Kristine angled herself toward the wall so the low lighting could obscure her face as she pulled on the replacement dress.
“I ran into Luna,” she said.
Although she moved quickly, Colton still caught flashes of flawless skin. Something dark flickered in his eyes, and his brows tightened with clear irritation.
“Luna keeps testing her limits. Once dinner is over, I’ll deal with her p>
A faint, mocking smile curved Kristine’s lips. Luna only dared to treat her the way she did because Colton had never cared enough to stop her.
She reached behind herself to work the zipper. Her fingers fumbled, her thoughts drifting elsewhere — and the zipper caught.