Lydia POV
The city has been waiting for this night.
You can feel it in the air before the car even reaches the entrance.
Spotlights sweep across the glass towers. Camera flashes burst like small explosions along the red carpet. Reporters press against velvet barriers, microphones raised, voices overlapping.
The annual Helios Investment Gala is usually just another elite charity event.
Tonight it’s something else.
Tonight the market wants proof.
Proof that Adrian Cole’s empire is stable.
Proof that the woman he married at the altar scandal isn’t just a symbol.
Proof that the story investors built in their heads is real.
The Rolls-Royce slows to a stop.
Inside the car, Adrian sits beside me, completely still.
Perfectly composed.
Black tuxedo. White shirt. No tie yet. His cufflin
