Felix's Protection for Her

The next afternoon found me sitting across from Felix at Le Bernardin, trying to pretend the world hadn't shifted off its axis in the span of twenty-four hours. Sunlight streamed through the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows, casting everything in a golden glow that felt surreal given the darkness consuming my thoughts.

"You didn't have to take me somewhere this expensive," I said, picking at my Dover sole. The irony wasn't lost on me—yesterday I'd thrown away three hundred thousand dollars, and today I was worried about the cost of lunch.

Felix's smile was gentle, transforming his features from merely handsome to something that made my chest flutter despite everything. "After what you've been through, you deserve to be somewhere beautiful."

I was about to respond when a familiar voice cut through the restaurant's refined atmosphere like a blade.

"Karina! There you are."

My blood turned to ice. Derek strode toward our table, his face a mask of barely controlled fury, with Alejandra trailing behind him like a shadow. She wore the concerned friend expression I'd seen a thousand times, but now it looked grotesque, painted over her betrayal.

"We've been looking everywhere for you," Derek continued, his voice carrying that edge I'd learned to fear over the years. Other diners turned to stare as he planted himself beside our table. "You disappeared last night. No explanation, no answer to my calls. What the hell is going on?"

I felt Felix tense beside me, his presence becoming more solid, more protective. "Derek," I said quietly, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. "I wasn't aware I needed permission to leave my own apartment."

"Don't give me that attitude." Derek's eyes flicked to Felix dismissively. "And who is this? Some rebound to make me jealous?"

Alejandra stepped forward, her manicured hand reaching for my shoulder. I flinched away before she could touch me. "Karina, honey, we're worried about you. You're acting so strange. This isn't like you at all."

The audacity of it—her standing there, calling me honey, pretending to care while the memory of her writhing in Derek's lap burned behind my eyes. "Strange?" I repeated, my voice growing stronger. "What's strange is finding out your boyfriend and best friend have been screwing behind your back."

Alejandra's face went white, but she recovered quickly. "I don't know what you think you saw, but—"

"I saw everything." The words came out like bullets. "The video was very clear."

Derek's expression shifted from anger to calculation. "Whatever you think you know, we can work this out. Come home with me. Now." He reached for my arm, his grip firm and possessive.

That's when Felix moved.

One moment Derek was grabbing for me, the next he was stumbling backward, Felix's hand wrapped around his wrist in what looked like a casual gesture but clearly wasn't. Derek's face contorted in pain.

"I don't believe the lady wants to go with you," Felix said, his voice completely transformed. Gone was the gentle stranger from last night. This was someone else entirely—someone with authority that seemed to radiate from his very bones.

"Let go of me," Derek snarled, trying to pull away. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Felix released him so suddenly Derek nearly fell. "Someone who knows how to treat a woman with respect," he replied calmly, but there was steel underneath the silk.

Alejandra looked between Felix and Derek, her calculation visible. "Karina, really, look at yourself. You're making a scene over some nobody you picked up—"

"Careful," Felix interrupted, his voice soft but carrying a warning that made Alejandra's words die in her throat.

Derek rubbed his wrist, his face flushed with humiliation and rage. "This is ridiculous. Karina, you're coming home. We have five years together. You can't throw that away over some misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" I stood slowly, feeling something crystallize inside me. "Is that what you call it when I watch you tell another woman you've wanted her for so long? When I see my best friend—" I turned to Alejandra, "—my best friend, riding you like her personal entertainment?"

The restaurant had gone completely silent. Even the waitstaff had stopped moving.

Derek's face darkened. "You're being hysterical. Come on." He lunged forward again, this time grabbing my upper arm hard enough to bruise.

Felix was there instantly, his hand closing over Derek's with casual efficiency. This time, Derek actually cried out.

"I'm going to say this once," Felix said, his voice carrying a quiet authority that made the air itself seem to thicken. "Remove your hands from her. Walk away. Don't come back."

Something in Felix's tone—some quality I couldn't name—made Derek's bravado crumble. For the first time since I'd known him, Derek looked genuinely afraid.

Felix pulled out his phone with his free hand, never breaking eye contact with Derek. "Marcus? Yes, it's Felix Hamilton. I need you to return Derek Morrison's calls immediately. He seems to be under the impression that he has some authority here."

I watched Derek's face transform as recognition dawned. Hamilton. Even I knew that name—old money, real power, the kind of family that could make or break careers with a phone call.

Felix ended the call and smiled, but it wasn't the gentle expression I'd grown to cherish. This smile was sharp as a blade.

"Now," he said pleasantly, "I believe you were leaving."