~ Becca ~
I didn’t expect him to find me the next night.
That was my mistake.
I told myself the benefit gala had been a test run controlled, distant, observational. I’d slipped in and out like a ghost. No ripples. No confrontation. No consequences.
But men like Jace Hale didn’t miss anomalies.
And I was one.
The second event was smaller. Private. Invitation-only. A networking dinner disguised as a charity roundtable—low lighting, heavy glassware, conversations meant to sound casual while measuring worth.
I arrived alone.
That was deliberate.
Couples softened you. Groups blurred you. A woman alone made people curious, uncomfortable, attentive.
I wore deep green this time. Not loud. Not innocent. A color that suggested intention without explaining itself. My hair was pinned back, e
