- SERAPHINE
"Aiden! There he is!" one of the developers called out, waving him over.
Aiden turned. His gaze swept the group, a practiced politician’s look of fake warmth. It hit the developers, it hit the lawyers, and then—
It hit me.
Time didn't stop. It just slowed down until I could see every line on his face, the way his pupils dilated, the way his smirk faltered for a microsecond. He didn't recognize me. How could he? I had a different face and style.
But he saw the midnight blue silk. He saw the woman who wasn't afraid of him.
"And who is this?" Aiden asked, his voice a smooth, dangerous purr as he stepped closer, pulling Marielle along with him.
I felt Marielle’s eyes on me—sharp, suspicious, and deeply insecure. She didn't see her old friend. She saw a threat to her throne.
