The flashbulbs were a storm. White light and noise crashing from every direction. Every step I took felt like walking through fire dressed in diamonds. The gown Teddy had sent over fit like it was stitched by sin itself… silver silk, slit high, jeweled straps cutting through the light like glass. I'd never worn anything that screamed money so loudly, and I'd never felt so naked in it. Teddy stood beside me, the perfect storm in human form, black tux sharp enough to cut someone open, eyes darker than the night around us. His hand rested at my lower back, guiding me through the chaos like he owned it… like he owned me.
The St. Regis Ballroom was already overflowing… CEOs, socialites, reporters, the city's elite pretending to care about charity while measuring each other's net worths wit
