Something sharp lodged itself in Ivy’s chest.
She’d hit dead ends everywhere trying to salvage the losses, and coming to a nightclub to grovel for a deal had been a last resort, not a choice.
It only took a few of Chloe’s carefully placed words for Nathaniel to erase every bit of that effort with a single word: disgraceful.
Facing down his obvious revulsion, something in her only hardened further.
“I got myself here on my own merit.
That’s not your concern anymore.”
“Enough.” Her refusal to back down only fed his temper.
He seized her hand and started pulling her toward the door, ignoring Chloe entirely.
Then, unexpectedly, the young man who’d been watching the whole exchange in silence rose to his feet and stepped directly into their path.
“Miss Hart.
Didn’t you offer to buy me for the night?”
Sebastian Barrow’s interest in her had sharpened considerably.
“I accept.
Let’s go.”
The room went still with shock.
Ivy hesitated for only a beat before nodding.
She was done arguing with Nathaniel.
Whatever Sebastian’s motives were, she’d finally gotten what she came here for tonight.
An instant later, her wrist was caught in an iron grip, impossible to shake loose.
Something cold and suffocating rolled off Nathaniel as he leaned in, voice dropped low.
“You wouldn’t dare.
Who told you that you could take my money and burn it on something like this?
Don’t forget what you still are to me, we’re not divorced yet.”
“Let go.” Ivy’s brow tightened at the pain of his grip, though her face stayed distant, unreadable.
The dismissal only pushed him further past his limit.
He tried to drag her out entirely, with no intention of stopping this time.
He was stronger than her, and no matter how she twisted, she couldn’t break free until Sebastian stepped between them both, smiling like this was all mildly entertaining.
“Mr.
Wolfe.
You don’t run the room tonight.”
“She’s my wife.
I run whatever I want.” Nathaniel’s expression darkened further, his glare cutting straight to the man standing in his way.
“Is Mr.
Barrow planning on inserting himself into our private business?”
Sebastian’s gaze drifted between the two of them, thoroughly entertained, entirely unbothered by either man’s tone.
“Wouldn’t dream of touching your private business.
But the lady offered to buy my company for the night, and I can’t exactly leave that hanging, can I?
Why don’t we just ask her who she’d rather go with, Mr.
Wolfe?”
Two pairs of eyes landed on her at once.
Ivy had no idea what had set Nathaniel off like this, but she had a week left on the clock, and Sebastian was her only real lead.
“I’ll go with him.” Ivy turned toward Sebastian, and in the split second Nathaniel’s grip loosened out of surprise, she slipped her hand free.
The room full of young heirs immediately erupted into catcalls and noise.
Still technically a married woman, she added, mostly for appearances, “We’re discussing a business deal.
I won’t be long.”
She turned and walked out, ignoring the sound of glass shattering somewhere behind her.
“Didn’t expect Mrs.
Wolfe to be quite this lively tonight.
Is your husband not satisfying you enough, so you came looking for my attention instead?”
The comment hit her the moment she stepped out of the private room.
She didn’t bother explaining herself, just offered a faint smile.
“You did promise to sell yourself to me for the night, Mr.
Barrow.
Surely you’re not the type to go back on your word.”
“I always keep my word.”
“Is that really how you talk to the woman paying for your company tonight?”
Sebastian faltered for half a second, then smirked.
“Everyone out there talks about how gentle and refined Mrs.
Wolfe is.
Didn’t expect the tongue on you in person.”
He looked her over, open contempt sitting plainly on his face.
“Rumors are unreliable in general, Mr.
Barrow, you’ve surprised me a little too.” Ivy walked ahead of him toward another private room, unbothered whether he followed at all.
She’d done her homework before coming tonight.
Sebastian played loose and reckless in public, but his word, apparently, actually meant something.
So far, that much appeared true.
He choked slightly at her response, though the amusement in his eyes only sharpened.
Inside, he dropped onto the sofa, propped his chin on one hand, and studied her with a teasing grin.
“So, Mrs.
Wolfe.
What’s the pitch?
Dressed like that, care to start with a little show?”
Ivy had braced herself for exactly this and let the insult slide off without reacting.
She pulled out the design portfolio she’d already prepared.
She went straight for the point.
“You’re a smart man, Mr.
Barrow.
Thornwood’s pitch to you was mostly about the designs and I think you already know exactly where those designs actually came from.
In this industry, work is what drives everything.
Long-term, Thornwood isn’t your best option…”
She handed over the sketches.
Sebastian flipped through them with obvious impatience at first until, page by page, that impatience quietly faded.
This supposedly reckless, hot-tempered director turned out to have a genuinely exceptional eye.
Good design wasn’t just polish and shine, the pieces worth remembering were the ones where the designer had poured something real into every line.
What looked, at a glance, like simple sketchwork actually mapped out not just striking silhouettes, but something closer to intention.
Meaning.
Without quite meaning to, Sebastian let the earlier disdain drop entirely, leaning in with a genuine flicker of respect he hadn’t expected to feel.
“Director Hart.
You’ve genuinely exceeded my expectations…”
Bang.
The door interrupted them, and both of them turned toward it.
Nathaniel’s face had gone dark, and it only hardened further seeing how close the two of them were sitting.
A closer look told a different story both fully dressed, sketches spread out between them, clearly mid-negotiation and nothing else.
His anger banked, slightly.
Meaning was the only thing this had ever been about.
Behind him, Chloe caught up, out of breath.
“Nathaniel, wait for me!
I really do believe Ivy wouldn’t actually cheat on you…”
“Wait outside.” His voice, flat and final, stopped her mid-sentence.
Before she could argue, the door shut firmly between them.
Once he’d steadied himself, Nathaniel’s eyes landed on Ivy’s bare legs, and something irrational and irritable stirred in his chest.
Without a word, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her, covering most of what his coat left uncovered.
Ivy resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
What was wrong with him now?
He had a perfectly willing new girlfriend waiting for him.
Why was he here interfering with this instead?
At least he wasn’t making another scene.
She let it go and kept walking Sebastian through her pitch.
Sebastian considered it for a long moment, then arched an eyebrow.
“The work is good.
Good isn’t enough to make me drop Thornwood for you, though.
Should we just call it here?”
Ivy’s composure slipped for a moment, thrown by how firmly he was digging in.
She pushed harder, laying out her case if this proposal wasn’t enough to sway him, and revisions would take real time, there was no telling when she’d get another shot at his attention.
A week from now, this deal would already be dead.
Sebastian showed no sign of budging.
Nathaniel glanced at the disappointment settling over Ivy’s face and spoke, unhurried.
“Mr.
Barrow, you know this market better than most Thornwood simply doesn’t have the reach Wolfe Jewels does in luxury retail.
And Director Hart’s design work stands out in a way Thornwood can’t touch.
That alone should tell you something.”
Ivy went still, caught off guard that he’d spoken up for her at all.
Then she caught the flat, unreadable look on his face and shook the thought off.
Of course he wasn’t doing this for her.
He was just here to win back a major account.