The venue was not in the estate.
That alone changed the atmosphere.
Public.
Exposed.
Controlled visibility instead of controlled space.
Elize stepped out of the car beside Luca.
Immediately, she felt it.
Eyes.
Too many.
Too trained.
“You’re tense,” Luca said beside her.
“I’m aware of my surroundings.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
A pause.
Then he added quietly—
“Don’t mistake attention for threat.”
“That depends on who’s giving it,” Elize replied.
That earned a faint look from him.
Then they entered.
Inside, the room was already alive.
Conversations paused subtly as they walked in.
Not obvious.
But deliberate.
Elize noticed it immediately.
She wasn’t just being seen.
She was being categorized.
“Luca,” someone greeted him.
Then eyes shifted to her.
“And this must
