built for comfort, it

he weight of empires. The chandeliers, rumored to be imported from a Russian

n couture danced beneath the illusion of legitimacy. Every face was hidden and every guest

nt arrived wi

dn't n

er like homing bullets. Her mask was delicate yet biting, perforated with b

re was no lo

s perf

d. Waiters moved by with champagne. On the balcony above, Damien Vos

to think about he

her name, her

d no

erywhere a

as beautiful sharp, calculating, and born to rule. The daughter of Don

ien's gaze and n

" Valeria s

didn't

tching her sinc

.. intr

ftly. "That's not

greetings, accepted compliments with a gracious smile, deftly sidesteppe

d she already

wd, her eyes until i

sm

dn't

her, offering champagne. She accepted without d

t to see you he

pect to be invit

e the gu

was supposed

oft breath frustra

ak in pa

ps against the rim of her glas

use. This

orward, hi

this lifetime. None of them ever

e. "And yet here yo

oom, her smile never faltering, but she tightened h

or tracked the ballroom on cameras. His laptop showed several wind

t activity record, pas

p his phone

," he said.

said, "Dance with me",

ough to make it noticeab

hifted, it

Raelyn let herself be held. His palm was firm agains

at pretending

," she whis

tretched. Ne

d have happened if she'd encountered him

gged her away. The manner in which her father's hand extended

e pull

ased followe

eased her,

omed to being r

ed to being claim

ia wa

ia caught up with her by the west corri

" Valeria said, offerin

it, fleetingl

believe we've met.

's ri

ro

nac

Very private. L

faltered. "Small talk

. My husband seems. interested i

Raelyn sai

in, a hair's

his world, women like us need to know when we are

ot stumble. Her expr

message

an to walk away from him, her back s

er eye her smile f

cony, staring out over the lake in the rear

avore

the door c

hadn't left," Dami

thought you had a wif

s herself

railing. They stood there, silent, wa

't like yo

to him. "Shoul

still staring at the l

were hea

dang

art tighten

I thought you'd

er are

then, and for a moment, every

k behind her ear. His fingers remained on her sk

nt," he repeated again.

ot a g

who ar

ed slow and

ng woman

here all alone on the balcony, with a hundr

a glass of wine and opened up her encrypted la

ss

ap complete. Val

en's falli

the screen, the

him

everything o