KIMANI
The soft notes of a piano drifted through the air — slow, melodic, almost shy — like it, too, was trying not to interrupt the moment. The glow of the lanterns reflected off the lake, turning the still water into a moving painting of gold and violet. It was so perfect, it almost didn’t feel real.
I took my seat across from Alaric, still half–stunned that this was really happening. The gazebo had been transformed into something out of a dream — tulips, candles, and string lights weaved around the wooden beams, their soft glow catching on the folds of his navy suit.
He sat down opposite me, and for the first time in a while, I didn’t see the CEO, the man who commanded boardrooms or signed deals with a flick of his pen. I saw the man beneath — quiet, intense, and for once, a little n
