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Gavin’s lips thinned with spite “You have no idea who or what you’re dealing hen it co you, Arabella Stay away froerous, malicious man”

The only dangerous, malicious h she couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation she’d overheard in the limousine on the ride over between hi bad could possibly happen to her dad at tonight’s ball

Clearly, there was more between Maddux, her father, and Gavin than she knew about, but thebut respectful and considerate with her More than Gavin had ever been She wasn’t sure what to make of any of it

The serving of dinner was announced, and having rened table fro area with Gavin beside her As soon as she felt his attempt to touch her elbow to try and escort her, she wrenched her arlared at him

“Under any circumstance, do not touch me”

Annoyance flashed across his features at her blunt order, and for ato do it anyway Instead, his gaze darted around the near vicinity, and as if fearing that Maddux ain, he instead balled his fingers into fists at his sides

“Stop being so childish,” he snapped

“I hen you stop being an overbearing jerk” She continued on to their table, leaving hi

Her father was already there, and when Gavin atte out a chair for her, Arabella ignored the gesture and took the seat on the opposite side of her father, so that her dad was sitting between her and Gavin as a barrier

Her father glanced at each one of thehed “Did the two of you have another tiff?”

Arabella arranged the skirt of her dress beneath the table while s at her dad “Yes, but I believe we’ve co as Gavin keeps his hands off me for the foreseeable future, we’ll be just fine, Father”

Her dad frowned at that announcebeside him just shook his head as if to say he didn’t want to talk about it, and Arabella was fine with that

As the table around the beside her as there with her parents, while they were treated to a five-course meal that had been prepared by a world-renowned Michelin star chef Everything was decadent and divine, and when the feast was over, she and her tablemate, Andrea, had beco in each other’s co out with their parentsor Gavin

As they explored the ballroone, ate chocolate-covered strawberries, and danced to the songs Raevynn belted out She returned to the silent auction, bu on the Jane Austen novels had reached over one hundred grand, but Andrea cheered her up by dragging her over to the photo op area, where they took fun pictures with dramatic backdrops and silly, life-size ca

rdboard cutouts of their favorite fairy-tale charactersand with Arabella’s earlier encounter with Maddux Wilder still on her e to pose with, since it rees h to protect her from Gavin’s abuse