The engagement banquet between the Blake and West families of Havenwood blazed with crystal chandeliers, and the grand hall was packed wall to wall with wealthy guests.
Clara wore a jaw-droppingly expensive custom couture gown, her makeup flawlessly done. Draped over Julian's arm, her face shone with the giddy glow of someone who had just gotten everything she had ever wanted, and she graciously accepted compliments thrown at her from every direction.
Julian looked every bit the composed, elegant gentleman he always was, but the smile never reached his eyes. Deep within those dark, deep-set eyes lay a frozen lake, with turbulent undercurrents churning just beneath the ice.
He stuck to the script with effortless patience, right up until the moment the MC announced it was time for the cou
