Page 60 of The Billionaire's Vow

All the happy fantasies she’d let herself indulge in—the stolen moments of warmth, the laughter, the feeling of belonging—shattered in an instant.

Gone.

Her future had been snatched away before she’d even fully allowed herself to believe in it.The emptiness that followed was unbearable.She stepped off the bus at her stop, barely aware of her surroundings.Her feet carried her on autopilot, and when she finally looked up, her heart sank even further.

She’d gone to the wrong place.Dimitri’s apartment.Her sanctuary.Tears burned as she looked up at the building, at the home she’d let herself grow to love, the safety she’d let herself believe she deserved.

She wanted to stay.

Shewantedto go inside, curl up on the sofa, and pretend that none of this was happening.That Craig wasn’t part of the theft.That she wasn’t about to lose everything.But she couldn’t.Her feet moved again, carrying her into the building, each step heavier than the last.She knew what she had to do.

She had to quit before Dimitri fired her.Not just because it was the right thing to do, but because shecouldn’tbear to see the look in his eyes when he realized the truth.

Dimitri was strong enough to do what needed to be done.

But for once in her life,shewanted to be the one to walk away first.Firing her for being related to a thief would be one of the easiest tasks Dimitri would accomplish today.

The thought sat heavily in Giselle’s chest as she walked through the quiet lobby.It was Saturday, which meant fewer employees were milling about, but there were still people moving with purpose, their polished shoes clicking against the marble floor.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat, forcing her lips into something that resembled a polite smile as she approached the elevator.

“Good morning,” she greeted the guard standing sentry by the elevators.

“Good morning, Ms.Carrington,” the guard responded with a respectful nod.“Mr.De Luca has been asking about you.”

Her stomach clenched at those words.Of course, he had.Dimitri always seemed to know where she was, what she was doing, even before she had the chance to tell him.

The guard entered the elevator code that would take her straight to the penthouse without stopping at the executive floor.There was no way to delay what was coming.

The doors slid open, and she stepped inside, offering a weak smile as the guard met her gaze.She didn’t press a button.She didn’t have to.The elevator was programmed to take her directly to Dimitri’s home.

With every floor that passed, her breath grew shallower.

When the doors opened, she stepped out into the penthouse level, greeted more guards, nodding politely to the man who held the door open for her.

As soon as she entered the bright, sunshine-filled space, she found Dimitri, waiting for her.

His body radiated tension, his dark eyes fixed on her like he already knew.

“What’s wrong?”he demanded, striding toward her, his hands reaching—ready to pull her into his arms.

“Wait!”

Giselle lifted her hands, stopping him before he could touch her.He halted mid-step, but his expression darkened further, his body practically vibrating with frustration.

“You’re not going to want to touch me once you hear what I’ve found.”

His jaw clenched.“IknewI should have gone with you today.”He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling the usually sleek strands.“What happened?What did they tell you?”

She forced a chuckle, but it sounded hollow.Empty.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone.“You need to see this.”

She tapped the screen, starting the video, then handed the phone to him.Dimitri watched in silence.His eyes didn’t stray from the screen.He barely even breathed.But she saw it—the shift in his posture, the tension coiling tighter and tighter with every second that passed.

When the video ended, he didn’t say anything.Didn’t ask questions.

Instead, he tossed her phone onto the sofa and stepped closer, his towering presence swallowing her whole.