Page 20 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Fake Girlfriend

Denver shot me a glance out of the corner of his eye. I smiled and gave him an encouraging nod. Despite my nerves and flip-flopping stomach, this was our moment and I wasn't going to let him down.

He turned to me, his blue eyes meeting mine for a brief moment before he continued. "And I am proud to introduce the lead designer of this groundbreaking new collection, Sasha Bennett."

The applause was thunderous, but all I could focus on was the way Denver looked at me.

There was pride in his eyes and something deeper that made my heart swell. I stepped forward to the mic, feeling the weight of the moment settle on my shoulders.

"Thank you," I began, my voice steady despite the butterflies in my stomach. "It's an honor to lead this project, and I'm incredibly excited to bring this vision to life. My goal is to bridge the gap between modernity and classic design. In creating our new ready-to-wear line, silhouettes, and footwear, I will push and test boundaries all while staying true to the XMGH DNA. Stay tuned for exciting changes up ahead. This is just the beginning."

"I have a lot of confidence in Ms. Bennett to bring a blend of innovation to XMGH while preserving our heritage. We want the world to know that our company is ready to move with the times, that we are not stuck in the past."

The Q&A session that followed was a blur of questions about the collection, my design process, and my experience.

When the questions finally died off, I handed the microphone back to Denver. "Thank you all for your time. We're excited to bring this new line to the world and to continue pushing the boundaries of design at XMGH."

As the room began to empty, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I scanned the crowd, but nothing seemed out of place until my gaze landed on a figure standing in the shadows near the emergency exit. It was too dark to make out who it was besides the fact that it was a man with a medium build.

Denver turned to me, his hand brushing mine in a reassuring gesture before it instinctively found its home on the small of my back. "You did great," he murmured. Though I wanted to give him a hug and a kiss, we had to keep things professional until we were back home at the penthouse.

A warm feeling spread through my body at the thought of his place being home.

I glanced up at him and gave him a relieved smile. "I hope it was enough."

The crowd was dissipating, and only a few stragglers stayed behind in the auditorium to mingle.

"It was," he assured me. "Let's get out of here."

We headed for the parking garage, the weight of the day pressing down on me. The stalker's presence was a constant shadow, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Denver's arm tightened around my waist, pulling me close.

"What's wrong?" My heart skipped a beat and the hairs on my arms stood on end. Something wasn't right. I looked all around the dimly lit parking structure, but I didn't see anything out of place.

Denver stood still as his eyes scanned the room. He reminded me of a professional soldier at this moment, on guard and ready to kill.

"Stay close to me," he whispered.

As we approached the car, I noticed a figure lurking in the shadows. My instincts screamed a warning. Before I could yell out, Denver pushed me aside, shielding me with his body.

"Denver--"

"Stay behind me," he growled.

He dashed out from behind a concrete column so quickly I didn't have time to react, but Denver did. I caught a glimpse and saw that it was Ethan. His face was twisted with rage, his eyes wide and frantic as it darted between Denver and me.

"Sasha!" His voice was desperate, dried spittle gathered at the corners of his mouth like a rabid animal. "You promised. I was the only one who understood your designs. How could you just replace me?"

"What are you talking about?" My voice trembled as I tried to make sense of his words.

"We talked every night about your designs. I thought we had a special connection, but you were just leading me on this whole time."

I gasped. He was the stalker, I realized. The whole time that I thought I was sharing my work anonymously online with my followers, I had one following me in real life.

"Enough!" Denver barked. "Back off now, Ethan. She wants nothing to do with you."

"You can't leave with him. I won't let you!" His voice grew desperate, the ravings of a lunatic. Ethan gestured wildly. Even with Denver's body forming a barrier between us, I caught the metallic gleam of the knife he waved in the air.

"Stop, before I put you down!" Denver commanded.

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