Chapter 639:
Allison leaned in, close enough that their noses nearly touched. The air between them sparked with intoxicating tension. âAre you showing off?â Her eyes sparkled, as though searching his soul.
âTen years ago, you could have earned four hundred million yourself. These shoes are hardly âspecialâ to you.â
Kellan opened the box, revealing the heels inside. Their red soles gleamed with tiny white diamonds.
âThis pair is called Freedom,â he said softly. âItâs the first creation by the original designer, and I thought it would suit you best.â
His voice was low, warm with the scent of cedar. âI hope that youâre always free, at ease, and unrestrained.â
Allison froze, staring at the shoes. Freedom was her very first design.
Its red and silver-white tones symbolized the desire to rise above chaos, to find wings and soar. She never imagined that, years later, they would find their way back to her. It felt like fate.
She gave a small, genuine smile. âThank you. I really do like them.â
Kellanâs eyes softened. âAnd I like you, Allison.â
In his strong, masculine hands, the delicate high heels looked almost out of place. She couldnât help but notice the black jade ring on his left finger â a gift she had given him long ago.
Carefully, he knelt, gently guiding her foot into the heel, tying the satin ribbons with a reverence that felt like a promise. As he helped her into the other shoe, Allison murmured, âIâm not going to Vrining this week. I need to find a way into their human lab.â
âWeâll go together,â Kellan replied without hesitation.
Allison rose to her feet, and the shoes sparkled, casting silver shadows as she moved. For a moment, she mirrored the butterfly in the brandâs logo.
Kellan stepped up behind her, his tall frame enveloping her as she turned.
âAnd what about the company?â she teased.
Kellan remained unbothered. âMy team can handle it.â
Their eyes met, his thumb brushing the corner of her eye. The touch, like a magnetic pull, seemed to draw them even closer.
âMr. Lloyd, if you disappear with me, people might talk,â Allison said, looping her arm around his neck, pulling him in even tighter.
That intoxicating aura surged again, overwhelming Kellanâs rational thoughts.
âLet them say what they want,â he replied, bending down to kiss her, their faces just inches apart. Though theyâd only been separated for a few hours, he held her as if they had been apart for years, as if he would never be close enough.
In Muisvedo, Melany finally secured Coltonâs release by leveraging Keanuâs shares.
The moment she laid eyes on him, she crumbled into his arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. âColton, Iâve missed you so much!â
.
.
.