The CEO’s Unspoken Love (Eleanor and Derek) novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Derek POV

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I watched Eleanor’s slender fingers wrap around her purse strap, her body half-turned toward the exit. Something inside me tightened at the thought of her walking away.

“Leaving so soon, Eleanor?” I called out, loud enough to draw everyone’s attention. “Are you afraid of something?”

She froze, her shoulders tensing beneath the silky blue fabric of her dress. When she turned back to face me, her expression wa perfectly composed, though I caught the slight narrowing of her eyes.

“Who said I was afraid?” she replied, her voice steady despite the challenge in her gaze.

I felt a surge of irritation at her composure. In the two years we’d been apart, she’d developed an infuriating ability to maintain her dignity regardless of the situation, and I wasn’t sure I liked it. 2

Her friend Olivia leaned close to her ear. “We don’t have to stay for this, she whispered, though not quietly enough. “Let’s just go.”

Eleanor shook her head slightly, her eyes never leaving mine. “It’s fine,” she said, settling back into her chair with deliberate grace.

Daniel, ever the peacemaker, clapped his hands. “Perfect timing! We were just about to start a game.” He signaled to the bartender, who brought over what appeared to be a deck of cards. “Truth or Dare poker, he explained, fanning the cards out on the table. “Red hearts are truth questions, black spades are dares, diamonds let you designate someone else to take a turn, and clubs give you immunity from one challenge.”

Eleanor’s face remained neutral, but I could read her thoughts as clearly as if they were printed on her forehead. She thought this was juvenile, designed purely to create embarrassment and uncomfortable moments. She wasn’t wrong.

“The rules are simple,” I added, leaning forward with a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “If you’re too scared to answer or complete the dare, you can forfeit by drinking five shots. Straightforward enough for everyone?”

My gaze lingered on Eleanor, who met it unflinchingly. “This sentence applies to you as well,” she said coolly. “I won’t be the one giving up.”

A ripple of anticipation ran through the gathered group as everyone settled into a loose circle. The blonde who had been eyeing me all evening-Jessica? Jennifer?-insisted on going first. She drew a heart and squealed with delight.

“Truth! Daniel read from the card. “Who is your favorite male in the room, and why?”

Without hesitation, she turned her blue eyes toward me. “Derek, obviously,” she purred, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “He’s the most successful man here, and that confidence is just… mmm.”

Several of the guys groaned good-naturedly while I maintained a polite smile. I’d heard variations of this answer from countless women over the years, and it had long since lost its ability to flatter me.

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Chapter 15

“Wow,” Olivia interjected sarcastically, ‘didn’t notice the wedding ring on his finger? You’re practically asking if he wants to sleep

with you. Have some self-respect.”

The blonde’s face flushed crimson. “I was just answering the question,” she snapped.

“Olivia,” Eleanor said quietly, her hand on her friend’s arm. “Don’t make a scene. I might not be able to bail you out if you do.”

I watched the interaction with interest, noting how Eleanor’s gentle warning immediately calmed her friend. Had she always possessed this quiet authority, or was this another change that had occurred during my absence?

My gaze drifted to Eleanor more frequently than I cared to admit as the game continued. She sat perfectly straight, her legs crossed at the ankle, occasionally sipping her drink with measured restraint. The silver star pendant I’d given her years ago caught the light

as she moved, and I found myself oddly fixated on it.

Olivia’s turn came next. She drew a spade and groaned when Daniel read the dare: “Share a drink with the first person of the

opposite sex to your right.”

The man to her right-Thomas’s cousin Michael, if I remembered correctly-looked equally uncomfortable, but Olivia shrugged and

held out her hand for his glass.

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The CEO’s Unspoken Love