Chapter 17: Julian Vance Enters

[ SAMANTHA'S POV ]

David’s hand finally left my hip. The air hit the bare skin of my waist, instantly freezing.

"I have to talk to the investors. Wait here. I’ll be back," he said. His voice was a flat command, his dark eyes giving me one final warning look before he spun on his heel. He walked in the opposite direction of the main party, his broad shoulders cutting through the crowd as he headed toward a quieter side of the hall where a tight circle of investors stood holding their glasses.

The moment his back turned, my fake smile completely crashed.

The ballroom was insane filled with hundreds of wealthy people standing around in clusters, whispering and watching everything. I walked over to a massive, multi-tiered glass fountain bubbling in the corner, pouring expensive champagne into a glowing basin.  Needing to look busy, I grabbed a crystal glass from the silver tray. I took a quick sip, the sharp liquid burning my dry throat, my eyes scanning the crowd as I tried to calm my racing heart.

Suddenly, a shadow fell right over my glass.

I looked up. A guy was standing right in front of me, leaning his hip casually against the fountain’s edge. He had messy dark hair, piercing grey eyes, and a cocky smirk that said he owned the place.

It was Julian Vance. I recognized his face instantly from the deep-dive research I had done on the Kingsley family before the wedding. The business blogs and financial news always ran his picture right next to David's; he was David’s fiercest business rival, the one man who could actually destroy everything David built. The second he entered the party tonight, his eyes had been locked onto me. He had watched David leaning in close to me by the dessert table, tracking our every move. He knew exactly who I was, and he had been waiting for David to get distracted.

He didn't waste any time. He took a slow sip from his glass, his grey eyes drilling right into mine, reading the obvious panic on my face.

"You look worried, sweetheart," Julian murmured, his voice smooth but dangerous. He didn't touch me he didn't dare to, not with the flashing cameras of the bloggers and the heavy media presence lingering just across the floor. Instead, he just took a subtle step forward, using his tall frame to cut off my line of sight, creating a private wall between us and the crowd. The faint scent of rich woodsmoke and expensive cologne filled the small space between us.

I dropped my face into a deadpan, icy look, refusing to say a single word. I treated him like he was invisible.

Julian just chuckled, a low vibration in his chest. "Save the silent treatment. I saw David pulling that doting husband routine over there. It’s a total joke. David Kingsley doesn't do romance. He does hostile takeovers. Right now, you look less like a happy bride and more like a prisoner looking for a fire exit."

My stomach did a violent flip. My eyes darted past his shoulder, searching the crowd for David, but David was completely cornered by the investors on the other side of the room, his back turned.

"Relax. I don't bite," Julian whispered, leaning down just enough so his words wouldn't carry to the nearby guests. Keeping his hands entirely to himself under the watchful eyes of the room, he smoothly slid two fingers into his inner tuxedo pocket and pulled out a thick, matte-black business card. With a quick, casual flick of his wrist, he slid the card across the marble rim of the fountain, letting it rest right against the base of my champagne glass.

He leaned in a fraction closer, his voice dropping to a sharp, quiet murmur that sent a sudden shiver straight down my spine.

"There's a massive storm coming for David, Samantha. And when his whole empire burns to the ground, you don't want to be locked inside the house with him," Julian whispered, a dark promise in his tone as his grey eyes flashed. He stepped back into the open light of the party, offering a polite, fake nod for the cameras. "A bird as rare as you shouldn't rot in David's cage. Call me when you're ready to break the lock."