“Well, if it isn’t Victoria Dean, the great dancer herself. Since you’re here, why not give us a performance before you leave?”
I didn’t recognize the man in front of me, but it was obvious that he was just one of Julian’s pawns sent to humiliate me.
“Move,” I said coldly, my expression hardened.
“Oh, look at that attitude.” The man sized me up as if I were a product on display. “Still think you’re the rising star of the dance world? You do know, don’t you? You’ve already been blacklisted from the industry.”
His words knocked the breath out of me, leaving me feeling like I’d plunged into icy water.
“Julian,” I said, turning to him. “Is he telling the truth?”
Julian swirled the wine in his glass, his gaze distant and cold. “This is your punishment for what you did wrong.”
I couldn’t hold back anymore and pressed him. “What did I do wrong? What could possibly justify you ruining my career and cutting off all my opportunities? Julian Ford, answer me!”
His lips tightened, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. “You know very well what you did.”
Averil laughed softly. “Victoria, I’m performing tonight. Since your reputation hasn’t been great lately, why not dance too? There are plenty of influential people here. Maybe someone will take an interest in you.”
I stared at Averil, my gaze unflinching until her smile faded.
“Julian,” she said, shrinking behind him. “Victoria looks so scary.”
Julian patted her hand, his eyes fixed on me. “Victoria, didn’t you want to cozy up to the right people? There are several entertainment executives here tonight. This is your chance. Why not make the most of it?”
I took in a sharp breath, unable to recognize the man standing before me.
I thought back to the year Julian first started his business. He was desperate for seed money, and without it, he would have missed a golden opportunity.
I had secretly taken a job dancing at a nightclub to make quick cash, but when Julian found out, he’d rather sell his blood than let me expose myself like that.
“You know how jealous I am,” he had said back then. “I can’t stand the thought of any man looking at you, even for a second.”
He had loved me so fiercely back then. We spent nights wrapped in each other’s arms in that tiny, run-down apartment, finding joy in the simplest things—even sharing a single apple felt like a feast.
