~ Lily ~
“I’m surprised you actually brought him.”
The comment comes before I’ve even finished greeting the host. I turn to find Richard Halston smiling into his champagne glass. It’s a tight, smug expression—the kind that lets him deliver an insult while pretending he’s just making conversation.
“I invited him,” I say.
“I can see that,” he replies, his eyes drifting briefly toward Hector, who is speaking with one of the event organisers near the entrance. “I just didn’t think he’d enjoy… this.”
“This?” I repeat.
Richard gestures around the room.“The fundraising. The donors. Our different worlds.”
“You’re right,” I say. “We do live in different worlds,” and he smiles, assuming I’ve agreed.
Before he can continue, another woman joins us. “I’ve been watching your mystery man,” she sa
