The morning sunlight filtered weakly through the curtains, muted by the haze of the city. Arielle sat at the edge of her bed, staring at the floor, the echoes of last night still hanging in the air.
The gala had been exhausting, not because of the event itself but because of Kairo.
He hadn’t said much on the drive home. He hadn’t needed to. His silence had been heavier than any confrontation. Every time she replayed moments from last night — the balcony, his words, the way his gaze followed her all evening — the same realization settled deeper in her chest.
Kairo was watching her differently now.
Not just suspiciously. Possessively.
And if she wasn’t careful, that would ruin everything.
By the time she stepped out of her room, the penthouse was already alive with quiet movement. The
