Brayden's POV
I stood near the entrance, nursing a glass of champagne I didn’t particularly want, my eyes scanning the room. But my thoughts weren’t on the people mingling around or the cold champagne flute in my hand. They were on her.
Larissa. And our kiss.
Her lips had been soft, warm, and tentative at first. And for a brief moment, it felt… real.
I took a sip of my champagne, my jaw tightening. Larissa was supposed to be just a piece of this carefully constructed plane to take down Benjamin. Our marriage was a necessary evil and Larissa herself was a crucial ally. Nothing more. But that kiss had awakened something I wasn’t ready to name, and it unsettled me.
I glanced at the time on my watch. She’d been gone for a while. At first, I didn’t bother about it. She had said she wanted
