LORI

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LORIPOV.
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That evening, as I walked through the grand ballroom with Santorini at my side, I could feel the eyes of the elite on us. Whispers and glances followed our every move.
It wasn’t long before I saw Knight standing at the edge of the room, his face an unreadable mask of fury and regret. His eyes burned with a fire that I had never seen before, and for a moment, I wondered if he would finally make his move.
Before I could ponder further, Santorini leaned in, his voice laced with a pang of warmth. “Lori, you look so enchanting tonight,” he said softly, his hand resting gently on the small of my back. “It’s as if you were born to dazzle.”
I smiled a hint of mischief in my eyes. “Thank you,” I replied, though part of me wondered if this display was meant to be a silent challenge.
Santorini turned slightly toward Knight, a smirk dancing on his lips. “You know,” he mused, lifting his glass in a lazy toast, “I have to say, I truly admire a real gem when I see one.”
He turned to me with an easy charm, his fingers lightly tracing circles against my lower back. “And Lori here… she’s nothing short of exquisite.”
I felt Knight’s body stiffen from across the room. His jaw clenched, and his grip on his drink tightened until his knuckles turned white. He took a step closer, his face an unreadable mask, though his fury was evident in the storm brewing in his gaze.
Then, with an exhale, he scoffed. “A gem?” His voice was sharp, laced with disdain. “You must be mistaken. She’s nothing more than a low-life girl, hardly worthy of such praise.”
Knight’s scornful words rang in my head, his eyes burned with pain. For a long moment, silence took over.
Then Santorini’s voice, smooth yet resolute, cut through the charged quiet.
“You must be mistaken, Knight,” he said, his tone both mocking and tender. “Lori is not a low-life girl. In fact, she’s a rare gem, unique and radiant. To call her anything less is to diminish the very light that she brings to this room.”
A murmur rippled through the gathered onlookers, and I could sense that even those who were once charmed by Knight’s authority were beginning to question it. Knight’s face flushed a deep crimson, his eyes glistening with hurt and rage. His jaw worked furiously as if he were battling an inner tempest.
“Don’t patronize me, Santorini!” he snapped, voice trembling with fury. “I built her. I raised her in my world, and now you dare parade her around like some prize to be flaunted? You insult me with every word.”
I felt my heart raced. My own words from moments earlier still echoed in my mind the determination to shed the chains that had bound me for so long. But now, in the glow of Santorini’s unwavering defence, I felt that strength blossoming inside me.
Santorini’s eyes softened as he turned his unwavering gaze toward me. “Lori, know this: I would journey the entire world if it meant ensuring your happiness and safety. I’d cross stormy seas and scale mountains just to see you smile. You deserve to be cherished beyond measure.”
Before Knight could retort, he stalked forward, his voice low and biting as he addressed me directly. “Lori-” he began, his tone laced with both command and wounded pride. “Lori, step aside.”
I paused, meeting his glare steadily. “Yes, sir?” I replied with a measured calm that I hadn’t known I possessed, a reply that rippled through the space between us like a challenge.
His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Your presence is not valued here. Go inside,” he ordered, voice clipped and final.
The words cut deep, and for a fleeting moment, doubt flickered within me. But then Santorini interjected, his tone light yet resolute as he looped an arm around my waist. “I’ll take you anywhere you wish to go, Lori,” he said softly, his gaze never wavering from mine. “But understand this: no man should ever make you feel less than the treasure you are.”
Knight’s nostrils flared, and his expression contorted with conflicting emotions; rage, pain, and an undeniable sense of loss. “You dare,” he growled, his voice barely audible above the soft clinking of glasses and hushed whispers of the onlookers. “You dare show her what she should be receiving? You think that by parading her, by letting her feel adored, you can simply replace what I’ve given her?”
I could see the raw hurt in his eyes, a wounded pride that had been nurtured by control and possessiveness. My heart pounded as I realized that his fury wasn’t solely born of anger at Santorini, but also at the part of him that had once believed he was her sole protector.
Santorini leaned in closer, his voice rising with fervour. “I’m not here to replace anyone, Knight. I’m here to show Lori that she is more than just an ornament in your display a possession to be commanded. She is a person with dreams, desires, and a soul that deserves to soar free.”
At that moment, the murmurs of the elite seemed to crescendo, each pair of eyes reflecting either disdain for Knight’s controlling nature or admiration for the newfound confidence I was slowly reclaiming.
Knight’s features hardened, his voice a dangerous whisper meant for me alone. “Lori, you belong with me. I built you-raised you. Do you understand that?”
I straightened my back, summoning every ounce of resolve. “No, Knight,” I replied softly, each word deliberate and sure. “I belong to no one but myself. I am unwrapping the chains you’ve wrapped around me for so long.”
A collective gasp rose among the onlookers as if each person in that grand room realized they were witnessing a profound transformation-a woman stepping out of the shadows of manipulation and into the light of her own truth.
Knight’s eyes darted between Santorini and me, his anger mingling with a deep-seated insecurity. “You’ll always be mine, Lori,” he hissed, voice trembling with an emotion I could not decipher, was it jealousy, fear, or the desperate clinging to a power he was losing? “I won’t let you go so easily.”
Santorini moved even closer, his hand resting gently on my lower back as if to offer reassurance in the face of Knight’s hostility. “Lori is not yours to control,” he declared boldly. “I would traverse the entire globe for her, ensuring that every step she takes is one of freedom and genuine care. Her worth is beyond measure, something no man’s possession can ever define.”
Knight’s face contorted with anguish as he spat, “A gem, you say? She’s nothing but a frail girl who doesn’t know her place.” His tone was venomous, dripping with a mixture of pride and despair.
The challenge in his words was met with unwavering resolve from Santorini. “No, Knight,” he replied firmly. “You may have moulded her, but you never saw her true beauty. Lori is a masterpiece in her own right, a rare gem that shines brighter with every act of independence. And it pains me deeply that you would let your own insecurities make you blind to her radiance.”
Knight’s eyes flashed, and for a heartbeat, his voice softened with anger. “Lori,” he murmured, almost pleadingly, “can’t you see that you’re my creation? You are mine by right. You will come back to where you belong.”
I dashed away from the heated crowd, Knight’s parting words still rang in my ears as I left the grand ballroom behind, seeking the solitude of my room. Every step felt heavy as if I were carrying the weight of all those eyes and harsh words with me.
I sank onto the edge of a plush armchair, trying to piece together what had just happened. The silence in the room was suddenly broken by a gentle knock on the door.
“Lori, are you okay?” Nicole’s concerned voice called softly from the doorway.
I managed a weak smile and looked up as she entered. “I’m not sure, Nicole. I’m so confused,” I admitted, my voice trembling with uncertainty.
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THE NEXT CHAPTER MAY CONTAIN SOME OFFENSIVE CONTENT AND IT MUST BE STRICTLY 18+.