For several seconds after the kiss, my mind refused to work properly.
The noise of the ballroom slowly returned—whispers, music, glasses clinking
All I could think about was what had just happened.
Adrian Wolfe had kissed me.
Not just a quick, fake kiss.
A real one.
And the worst part?
I had kissed him back.
I looked at him, my heart still beating far too fast.
“You didn't have to do that,” I said quietly.
Adrian looked calm as usual.
“Yes, I did.”
“No, you didn't.”
“It was the most effective way to silence Victoria.”
I sighed.
“You’re impossible.”
Adrian’s expression softened slightly.
“But it worked.”
I glanced across the ballroom.
Victoria was no longer smiling.
She stood near the stage, speaking quietly with Daniel Carter. The two of them kept glancing
