Aidan’s POV
The maître d’ led us through the restaurant to a private dining room overlooking the city skyline, but I barely noticed the view. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a sea of glittering lights stretching endlessly into the night, and soft classical music drifted through the room, blending with the quiet conversations of wealthy patrons. It was the sort of place people came to celebrate engagements, close billion-dollar deals, or pretend their lives were perfect.
Tonight, none of it registered.
There was only one name occupying my mind.
Julian Blackwood.
Of all the people I had expected to see tonight, he was the last.
For years, I had made sure our paths never crossed. Whenever I heard Blackwood Industries was bidding on a project, I took another route. Whenever invitations
