Elijah’s temperament was bitter. When had Elizabeth become the object of every man's attention? Initially, she'd connected with Soren, and now she was openly aligning herself with Asher. Even Stewart had recently defended her.
It suddenly struck Elijah that Elizabeth had always been drawn to charismatic men. He remembered overhearing her admiring his appearance to a friend; at the time, it hadn't seemed significant. But now, observing Asher and Stewart—both strikingly attractive—and recalling Soren's renowned good looks among the elite, unease settled over him. His expression hardened; he sneered inwardly. Was her affection merely superficial?
Sandra noticed the shift in Elijah's attitude. She understood his outburst wasn't genuine concern for her, but a surge of envy. Choosing to ignore it, she softly rebuked him, "Elijah, it's not worth losing your temper over them because of me." She wanted Elizabeth to understand his actions were entirely in her defense.
"It's simply a misunderstanding," Bart interjected smoothly, opening the door to the private suite to ease the tension. "Mr. James, your timing is perfect. We've just arrived. Sandra must be exhausted and hungry from her shoot this afternoon. Let's not linger. Please, come in and have a seat."
Elizabeth's gaze met Elijah's; his sour expression made her wonder if his earlier apartment apology had been imaginary. Whenever Sandra was near, Elijah became a stranger. Elizabeth was accustomed to his frosty demeanor and apparent inability to love, yet seeing him passionately defend another felt like a painful stab—one she couldn't ignore. Had she met Elijah before Sandra, could there have been a spark? But the world allowed no such "what ifs."
Lowering her eyes, Elizabeth dismissed the swirling thoughts. Pretending Elijah was invisible, she turned to Asher. "I'm starving. Let's go inside and eat."
Asher quickly opened the door, smoothly changing the subject. "Do you enjoy seafood? The house specialty is exceptional."
Sandra murmured, gently tugging Elijah's hand. His attention shifted from Elizabeth as he followed Sandra and the others into the adjacent private room.