Chapter 89

**Chapter 0089**

Some people started to dance with their partners too!

“You say such nice things, Mr. Landry,” I joked as he twirled me around again. This time, he gave me an extra spin, making me laugh.

I had to move faster, and I almost lost my balance. To steady myself, I wrapped my arm around his neck. This brought my body even closer to his.

I felt my breath catch in my throat when we ended up just inches apart.

Our breaths mixed together as we danced closely.

“I only speak the truth, Miss Montague,” he said with a smile, dipping me low once more.

When the song finished, we heard applause from the audience. I smiled back, grateful for their appreciation.

Walter gave me a little wave and laughed as he led me away from the crowd. We took a short walk, looking up at the sparkling stars and the bright moon shining above us.

“What a beautiful night,” I said, feeling thoughtful.

“Certainly,” he agreed.

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. I gave him an awkward smile. Now that we were away from others and no longer dancing, being so close felt strange.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Thank you for coming with me tonight,” he said sincerely. “You made the evening quite enjoyable.”

“I had a nice night too, Walter,” I replied. “Thank you.”

We stopped walking, and he turned to face me.

He looked at me and said, “You are very beautiful.” As he brushed a strand of hair out of my face, he added, “I’m sorry if I came off a little strong last night. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I felt myself blush at the compliment.

He tried to kiss me, but I turned my head away, protecting myself from the kiss.

“It wasn’t that I was scared,” I told him. “I just wasn’t ready.”

He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment.

“Because of Ethan?”

I was shocked by his words. I wanted to pull away, but he held me tightly.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, my eyes wide and filled with worry.

“I know about you…”

“I had Maxwell look into it,” he admitted. “You are mates.”

“Why would you look into that?” I asked in a low, harsh whisper.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” he replied. “But I could tell something was wrong.”

“I’m not trying to upset you or hurt you, Judy. I just wanted to understand you,” he said quickly.

“Couldn’t you have just asked me?” I replied, feeling a bit betrayed.

“I did, and you lied to me,” he reminded me, making my heart sink.

“Don’t be afraid,” Judy said gently.

**Chapter 0089**

“I am here, and I promise I won’t hurt you. What he did was terrible, but it wasn’t your fault.”

Judy spoke softly, trying to comfort the person in front of her. She knew that the fear they felt was real, but she wanted them to understand that they were safe now.

“Irene, I cannot know…” Walter began, his voice soft.

“I know,” she interrupted gently. “And she never will.”

I felt a lump in my throat as I looked at him, trying to understand if he truly meant what he said or if he was just trying to comfort me.

Once I made my decision, I gave him a nod.

“You are safe with me, Judy. I promise,” he assured me.

His words felt sincere, and I began to relax a little. He noticed and smiled at me, which made me feel even more at ease.

He smiled kindly and leaned his head down, getting close to me, just inches away.

“I know you say you’re not ready,” he said gently, “but being here with me right now tells a different story.” He looked at me with sincerity.

He ran his fingers through his hair, and I could see the warmth in his eyes.

I felt his fingers gently glide down the side of my face, and I looked up at him. “I really want to kiss you,” he said softly.

I bit my lower lip and gazed into his eyes. He was looking at my mouth with a longing expression, and I could feel the tension growing between us.

My chest felt tight. I nodded, giving him the go-ahead to kiss me.

A smile appeared at the corners of his lips as he leaned down and gently pressed his lips against mine.

—

Ethan and Irene arrived at the gallery.

After some convincing, Irene finally agreed to go out with Ethan. She wasn’t really in the mood for an outing that evening, but he insisted they needed a date night. He mentioned that there was no better place than the Silver Crescent Light Gallery.

“Get yourself ready,” Ethan said with a smile.

“Here’s something to eat,” Ethan said, handing her his card. “I’ll be right back.”

She nodded and walked towards the food cart, not wanting to argue with him. Ethan took a moment to stroll around the gallery, looking at the art on the walls.

Judy was there that evening, and he was determined to talk to her alone. When he finally spotted her, his stomach twisted with nerves.

She was standing with Walter, and they were deep in conversation.

He leaned in for a quick kiss! Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He knew it was time to start the next part of his plan before he lost her completely.

He found his subordinate’s phone number and pressed it to his ear.

“Boss,” he said, ready to take action.

“It’s go time,” he said with a serious tone. “I need you to do what we talked about earlier.”

There was silence on the line for a moment, and then a low, dark chuckle came through.

“Gladly,” his subordinate replied.

His subordinate had been waiting for this moment.

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