The gala began before Alex and Callan ever arrived.
Alex could feel it in the air as the car slowed along the curved drive of the Ashford estate. The low hum of conversation and music drifted faintly through the glass even before the doors opened.
Light spilled across the manicured grounds in deliberate, golden pools. It illuminated a procession of black cars and polished shoes and silk gowns as guests filtered toward the entrance, each one stepping into the night like they belonged there.
This wasn’t just an event. It was a stage, and tonight, they were the centerpiece.
Alex adjusted the line of her dress with quiet precision as the car came to a stop, her reflection briefly catching in the darkened window. The gown was a deep, liquid black that clung where it should and softened whe
