Amelia tried her best to stay composed, glancing around the room, her gaze darting from one unfamiliar face to another. She took a quiet breath, hoping it would calm her nerves, but her mind kept replaying that brief, charged moment from earlier—the instant her eyes had met his across the room. The memory of his intense gaze lingered, refusing to fade, like an ember that wouldn’t quite die out. She could feel his presence somewhere nearby, a magnetic pull she couldn’t quite ignore, even though she tried to blend in, to disappear within the crowd.
And then, almost as if she had summoned him with her thoughts, he was right there, standing beside her. Her pulse quickened, her heart racing in spite of herself. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to look calm as she turned to face him, but
