Vanessa blinked. And then watched as Elliott went down on one knee. She heard the entire ballroom gasp. She froze. Dam* it! What was this? This was not part of the plan. They were supposed to mingle a bit and then get away from the party early.
But now, he was kneeling in front of her. Her mind went completely blank. Why a proposal? And now of all times. Then a horrifying realization struck her.
The rings. She had forgotten the rings. She'd placed an order for them with the jewellers before learning of the betrayal. Her eyes widened. How could she forget something so important?
For one terrible second, Vanessa wondered if she should make a run for it. Then she saw Elliott reach into his pocket. Relief flooded through her. Whew. So, even though he was improvising on the spot, at least he had come prepared with a ring. Problem solved. They made a good team, helping each other out.
She watched him pull something out. And then froze again. Because it wasn't a ring.
