Chapter Seven: The First Appearance

The charity dinner was at the Meridian Hotel. Black tie. Open bar. The kind of event where people took photographs of their food and posted them before eating.

I hadn't been to one since my engagement party.

Adrian's driver dropped us at the entrance. I stepped out first. Cameras flashed. I didn't blink.

"Smile," Adrian said.

"No."

"You don't have to."

"I know."

He offered his arm. I took it. We walked inside together.

The ballroom was enormous. Crystal chandeliers. White tablecloths. A string quartet playing something forgettable. I scanned the room out of habit. Old money on the left. New money on the right. Politicians near the stage. Journalists by the bar.

And Julian.

He was standing near the terrace doors, a glass of whiskey in his hand. Mira was beside him, wearing a dress that cost more than most people's rent. She saw me first. Her smile froze.

Julian turned.

Our eyes met.

I didn't look away. I didn't need to.

"Steady," Adrian said. His voice was quiet. His hand rested on the small of my back.

"I'm fine."

"You're shaking."

I looked down. My fingers were trembling. I pressed them flat against my clutch.

"I said I'm fine."

He didn't argue.

We moved through the room. People greeted Adrian. He introduced me. Mrs. Kane. The words sounded strange. I shook hands. I nodded. I said the right things. I didn't remember a single name.

Julian approached during the second course.

Adrian was talking to a senator. I was pretending to eat. The seat beside me moved. I didn't need to look.

"Elena."

His voice. The same voice that had promised to love me. The same voice that had told Mira he wished I would disappear.

I set down my fork.

"Julian."

"You look well."

"I am well."

He laughed. It was a nervous sound. Forced.

"I didn't expect to see you here," he said. "With him."

"He was invited. I was his plus one."

"You know what I mean."

I turned. He looked tired. His eyes were bloodshot. He'd been drinking more than one glass of whiskey.

"I know what you mean," I said. "You expected me to fall apart. I didn't."

"You married Adrian Kane. Of all people."

"I married someone who doesn't lie to me."

His jaw tightened. "That's not fair."

"Fair," I repeated. "You want to talk about fair."

"I made mistakes. I know that. But you didn't have to—"

"To what? To move on? To protect myself?"

"To humiliate me."

I almost laughed. "This isn't about you, Julian. Not everything is."

He opened his mouth to respond. Then he stopped. Adrian had returned. He stood behind my chair, one hand resting on the back, his presence filling the space between us.

"Ashford," he said.

"Kane."

"Enjoying the evening?"

"Not particularly."

"Then perhaps you should leave."

Julian's face flushed. He stood. His chair scraped against the floor. People at the next table looked up.

"You think you've won," he said. "Both of you."

Adrian didn't respond. He just waited.

Julian walked away. His shoulders were stiff. Mira followed him, her heels clicking against the marble floor.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

"Are you all right?" Adrian asked.

I nodded. I couldn't speak. My throat was tight. I reached for my water glass and drank.

"You handled that well."

"I didn't handle anything. He walked away."

"You didn't rise to it. That's handling it."

I set down the glass. "He's going to do something. He won't let this go."

"I know."

"And Mira?"

"She's a follower. She'll go where he goes."

I thought about that. Mira had always been a follower. Even when we were children. She never started anything. She just attached herself to whoever had power.

"She'll turn on him eventually," I said. "When he stops being useful."

Adrian looked at me. "You sound certain."

"I know her."

He didn't ask how. He just nodded.

The rest of the evening passed without incident. I made it through dinner. Through the speeches. Through the auction. I shook hands and smiled and pretended I wasn't exhausted.

At eleven, Adrian found me by the coat check.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

We walked to the car in silence. The driver opened the door. I slid into the back seat. Adrian followed.

The car pulled away. The city lights slid past the windows. I closed my eyes.

"You did well tonight," Adrian said.

"I didn't do anything."

"You showed up. You didn't let him see you flinch. That's everything."

I opened my eyes. He was looking out the window. His profile was sharp in the passing light.

"Why do you care?" I asked.

He turned. "What?"

"Why do you care how I handle him? This is business for you. A means to an end."

He didn't answer immediately. The car hummed along the road.

"It started that way," he said. "Things change."

I didn't ask what he meant. I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

We rode the rest of the way in silence. When we reached the penthouse, he walked me to my door. He didn't come in.

"Goodnight, Elena."

"Goodnight, Adrian."

He turned to leave.

"Adrian."

He stopped.

"Thank you. For tonight. For the senator. For standing behind me."

He looked at me. That same unnamed something crossed his face. It was there and gone.

"You don't have to thank me," he said. "I told you. I won't let him touch you."

Then he walked away.

I stood in the doorway for a moment. I touched my fingers to the back of my neck. I could still feel the warmth of his hand there.

I closed the door.

That night, I dreamed of falling. But this time, someone caught me.

I couldn't see his face. But I knew who it was.