Chapter 398

Eleanor stumbled through the Velvet Lounge like a lost kitten in a thunderstorm. Drunken patrons kept grabbing at her arms, pulling her in different directions.

A particularly aggressive man with whiskey breath cornered her near the bar. She ducked under his arm just in time, but he started shouting obscenities that made her ears burn.

Up in the private suite, Isabelle and her friends were howling with laughter as they watched the security feed. The champagne glasses in their hands shook from their mirth.

"Look at that pathetic creature!" Isabelle pointed at the screen, tears of laughter streaming down her perfectly contoured cheeks. "I swear she hasn't developed past fourteen mentally. What an absolute joke!"

Cassandra leaned in with a wicked grin. "Want to know where I hid that disgusting stuffed animal?"

She whispered into Isabelle's ear, making the other girl shriek with renewed laughter.

"That's brilliant! There's no way that simpleton will ever find it before dawn. This is better than any comedy show!"

Meanwhile, Eleanor had searched every booth and table in the massive club. Her bare legs were covered in bruises from being accidentally kicked, and her arms ached from pushing through the crowd.

She stood frozen in the middle of the dance floor, arms wrapped around herself like a protective shield. Strangers kept giving her strange looks that made her skin crawl. The noise and lights were making her head spin, her breathing coming in short, panicked gasps.

Suddenly, the overhead lights shifted to deep purple. Glittering confetti rained down from the ceiling like metallic snow.

The crowd erupted in cheers, bodies grinding together to the pulsing beat.

"My bear... I need to find Bruno..." Eleanor whimpered to herself, bending down to check under another table.

She didn't see the solid wall of muscle until she collided with it face-first. The impact made stars explode behind her eyes. Tears immediately welled up from the sharp pain in her nose.

"I-I'm so sorry..." she stammered, trying to dart around the obstacle.

But the living wall moved to block her path again. A familiar scent of sandalwood and expensive whiskey washed over her.

"Eleanor?!"

Her heart stuttered. Slowly, trembling fingers still covering her nose, she looked up through wet lashes.

Julian Montgomery's handsome face swam into view, his dark eyes slightly unfocused from alcohol but filled with instant recognition.

For a moment, Eleanor wondered if the collision had given her hallucinations. "J-Julian? Is that really you?"

The next second, Julian's arms enveloped her in a crushing embrace. One strong hand cradled the back of her head while the other secured her waist, shielding her from the jostling crowd.

The dance floor had become dangerously chaotic, filled with intoxicated people moving without awareness.

Eleanor's pulse raced as her small hands fisted in Julian's silk shirt. Part of her wanted to push away - he was Isabelle's brother after all. But another part, the scared and exhausted part, wanted to melt into his warmth just for a moment.

Around them, clubgoers gasped as they recognized the Prince of Crestview. Women screamed while men shook their heads in envy at his flawless features.

Those famous bedroom eyes - often described as the most seductive in all of Crestview - were now solely focused on the trembling girl in his arms.

The music, the lights, the revelry - it all faded to background noise as they stood in their own private bubble.

"Did you come here alone?" Julian murmured, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.

Eleanor gave a hesitant nod, then shook her head.

His expression darkened. "Tell me what's wrong." Despite the intensity in his eyes, his voice remained gentle.

"I lost Bruno..." The words tumbled out before she could stop them, along with a fresh wave of tears. "Cassandra took him... He was a gift from Evelyn... My only friend..."