Sadie slipped back into the ballroom with her mask slightly crooked, cheeks flushed, and hair a little too wind‑tossed for someone who had “just stepped outside.”
Kya noticed instantly.
“Oh my god,” she whispered. “What happened to you?”
Sadie grabbed her wrist. “Powder room. Now.”
Julian looked up from the bidding card in his hand. “Everything okay?”
“Girl emergency,” Sadie said quickly.
Julian nodded. “Go.”
Kya squeezed his shoulder before following Sadie toward the hallway. As soon as they were out of earshot, Sadie exhaled dramatically.
“Kya. I think I met the villain.”
Kya blinked. “What?”
“The villain. A brooding, quiet, smokes-in-the-courtyard villain.”
Kya’s eyes widened. “Sadie… what did you do?”
“Nothing! He bumped into me. Or I bumped into him. Or gravity betrayed me
