Maya's POV Every step across that ballroom felt like it took an hour and no time at all. The laughter behind me hadn't stopped — if anything, it climbed louder the farther I walked, like the entire room had decided this was the best entertainment they'd get all night. I heard Priya's voice cut through it, delighted, calling after me. "Maya, where are you going? Is he hiding on the terrace?" I didn't turn around. I couldn't. If I looked back now, I'd lose whatever was left of my nerve, and I'd already come too far to stop. The stranger watched me approach without moving, without any change in his expression at all, like he'd been expecting this the entire time and simply hadn't bothered to react yet. Up close, he was even more unsettling — tall in a way that made the space around him feel smaller, dark eyes that missed nothing, a stillness that had nothing to do with calm and everything to do with control. "You seem lost," he said, one eyebrow lifting slightly as I stopped
Last Updated : 2026-07-06 Read more