Chapter 38 Hooked Like A

Fish On A Line

This evening, Hadley glided onto the stage, adorned in an exquisite white gown that clung to her torso like a lover’s embrace before cascading into a free–flowing cascade below. The silken material danced with the spotlight, glinting like liquid starlight with every graceful motion she made.

Her face was concealed by a mask, one half adorned with an intricate lotus design, delicate and blooming, while the other remained a blank canvas of mystery. The contrast was striking, a silent promise of hidden depths.

Hadley exuded a serene allure, an enigma wrapped in elegance. There was something magnetic about her, a puzzle that didn’t unnerve but rather beckoned the audience closer, stirring their curiosity like moths to flame.

In that moment, she danced with a grace that seemed to defy the laws of the earth, her movements as fluid as a dream.

She was a vision of purity, a lotus flower in full bloom, untouched by the world’s clamor.

She paid no heed to the crowd, her focus inward, her presence ethereal. Yet, her indifference only amplified her allure–she was a star beyond reach, a celestial being gracing the mortal stage.

The audience sat entranced, their eyes glued to her every twirl and leap, unable to tear themselves away from the magic unfolding before them.

Perched in the opulent VIP booth overlooking the stage, Eric sat utterly enchanted, his eyes locked on Hadley, as if she were the sole star in his universe.

A soft, primal rhythm of drums began to pulse through the air, and Hadley soared upward, her body slicing through the space in a perfect mid–air split. With effortless precision, she seized a ribbon that unfurled from

upward.

She swirled across the stage, a vision of elegance in motion, each gesture painting the air with poetry.

“Incredible!”

“There she glides!”

Gasps of awe rippled through the crowd–their voices swelling into a chorus of delight that echoed off the walls.

Yet the ribbon fell short, too brief to carry Hadley near Eric’s booth. A shadow of disappointment flitted across

his features, and he swallowed a lump of longing, the bitter taste of it lingering.

Then, a darker realization struck him like a storm cloud breaking. Eric bristled at the way the others ogled her,

their gazes too hungry, too irreverent. It gnawed at him, their audacity to feast on her beauty with such

reckless abandon.

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He snatched his glass from the table, downing its contents in one fierce gulp, the burn of the liquor mirroring the fire in his chest. Before Hadley could even vanish from the stage’s embrace, Eric sprang to his feet, driven by an unspoken urgency, and made his way backstage with determined strides.

Eric lingered near the staff entrance, the dim hallway humming with anticipation, until he caught sight of her. Hadley approached with quiet poise, her fingers lifting the hem of her gown ever so slightly, each step a

testament to her unshakable elegance.

“Hi,” he ventured, his voice soft yet heavy with intent.

Only a few strides separated them now.

For a fleeting moment, Hadley froze behind her mask, her breath catching.

Was he speaking to her?

he have seen through her

truly recognized her, his demeanor would have been far

facade of serenity masking her inner turmoil, though she held her tonue wary of betraying herself with a single word. Were she to utter even a syllable, she worried it might un

ne

swept into a graceful curtsy, her movements poised as she attempted

“Hold on!”

here just for her–no way was he letting her slip

Eric’s hand shot out, catching

astonishment, a reflexive tug

her–Eric didn’t know her true identity. She had to keep her composure, no matter

heart raced.

gaze, peeking out from behind the mask, fixed on Eric with a startled intensity.

him. Those eyes… why did

him?

might have crossed a line for a first encounter with a young lady, he quickly released her.

“Apologies, I overstepped.”

let out a silent breath of relief. Thank goodness he had let go just in time–any longer, and her

space to breathe, and extended his hand with a newfound courtesy. “I’m

pressing lightly against Eric’s lips before he could finish

froze, caught

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to quiet him like

her expression, Eric could almost feel the

silent as if under a spell, his words fading into the air like whispers on the wind.

withdrew her hand, turned on her heel, and sauntered

her, unwilling to let her

“Mr. Flynn!”

swooped in, his arm

swing! Sure, the final toast is all yours, but we’ve got to keep things above

“Step aside already!”

thin. But before he could push him out of the way, he caught sight of her–Hadley turning back

delicate hand to the edge of her

a heartbeat, Eric’s pulse

she about to

Yet, she didn’t.

nudged the mask ever so slightly and let

she spun around

rooted to the spot, a swirl of amusement and frustration bubbling within him.

she playing me for a fool?”

to hand it to her–she was skilled at this game.

on a line. Suddenly, the urgency to chase her

into quite

but wonder what secrets

all this

face like

present, giving Lennon a quick clap on the shoulder. “Cut the drama. I’ll show her respect. If she

a grin spreading wide as if he had just struck gold.

Eric turned to leave, Lennon scurried off to find Hadley.

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