Chapter 6
894 Words
The invitation had been embossed on thick ivory cardstock, the kind that whispered money before you even read the words. Cole & Partners Annual Networking Gala.
Cassie had tried to tell herself it was just another company event. Smile, shake hands, remember you’re Cassie Hale, not Cassandra Knight. Easy.
But now, standing in front of the ballroom mirror in a midnight blue satin dress she’d bought secondhand but tailored to fit like it was made for her, she wasn’t so sure.
The hotel’s chandeliers dripped gold light over the crowd. Waiters in white gloves moved like clockwork, carrying trays of champagne. The low hum of conversation was punctuated by the occasional clink of crystal.
Adrian Cole was already there, of course. He stood near the far end of the room, speaking with a group of men in tuxedos. His presence commanded the space without trying — posture straight, expression unreadable, his charcoal suit cut to perfection. He glanced up once, as if sensing her arrival, and for the briefest moment, their eyes locked.
It was only a second. But it was enough to make her forget to breathe.
She wove through the crowd, accepting a champagne flute from a passing waiter.
“Cassie.”
She turned to find Mark, the junior architect from her floor, looking far more polished than she’d ever seen him. “Wow. You clean up well,” she teased.
He grinned. “You’re not so bad yourself. You here alone?”
“I work here, remember?”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Before she could respond, a voice called her name the wrong name.
“Cassandra?”
Her blood turned to ice.
She turned slowly. Standing a few feet away was a tall, broad shouldered man in a navy suit. Early forties. Tanned skin, sharp jawline, and eyes that lit with recognition.
No. Not here. Not now.
“I’m sorry?” she said, forcing confusion into her tone.
“It’s me. Daniel.” He stepped closer. “Daniel Royce. We met at the Knight Foundation fundraiser in New York last year. You..”
“I think you have me confused with someone else,” she interrupted, her smile tight. “I’m Cassie Hale.”
His brows furrowed. “You look exactly like..”
“Cassie.”
Adrian’s voice cut clean through the moment.
She turned. He stood just behind her now, his presence a wall between her and Daniel. His gaze shifted from her to the man. “Do you two know each other?”
Daniel hesitated. “I thought we might. But… perhaps not.”
Cassie’s pulse thundered in her ears. “No. We don’t.”
Adrian’s eyes stayed on her a beat too long, something unreadable flickering there. Then he extended a hand to Daniel. “Adrian Cole.”
“Daniel Royce,” the man said, shaking it.
“I believe we were scheduled to speak next quarter regarding the Holloway Project steel supply,” Adrian said smoothly.
Daniel nodded, his attention reluctantly leaving Cassie. “Yes. We’ll be in touch.”
As he walked away, Cassie released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
Adrian didn’t move. “You look pale,” he said quietly.
“Must be the champagne.”
“You haven’t taken a sip.”
She forced a smile. “Maybe I’m just not used to seeing you outside the office. It’s disorienting.”
One corner of his mouth curved not in amusement, but like he’d just filed her answer away for later.
The rest of the evening blurred into a haze of polite small talk, laughter that felt too practiced, and constant awareness of Adrian somewhere in the room. Watching. Listening.
At one point, she caught him speaking with Daniel again, low-voiced and serious. Her stomach twisted.
By the time she slipped outside onto the terrace for air, her hands were shaking.
The city stretched out below, glittering against the night. The hum of traffic was a distant song.
She didn’t hear Adrian approach. She just felt him the sudden shift in the air, the quiet weight of his presence beside her.
“You lied to him,” he said without preamble.
Her head snapped toward him. “Excuse me?”
“Daniel Royce. You know him.”
She swallowed. “I told you. He mistook me for someone else.”
His gaze was sharp, too sharp. “And you didn’t think correcting him was worth more than three words?”
“I don’t owe strangers my life story.”
“Maybe not,” he said. “But you work for me. And when someone in this city thinks my employee is hiding something, that is my business.”
She met his gaze, refusing to look away. “Are you always this paranoid, or is it just me?”
The corner of his mouth twitched again not quite a smile. “You tell me.”
They stood in silence for a long moment, the city lights painting their faces in gold and shadow.
Finally, he said, “You’re good at deflecting. But be careful, Cassie. One day someone will ask the wrong question, and you won’t have enough lies to cover the answer.”
He turned and walked back inside, leaving her breathless, shaken and more aware than ever that Adrian Cole was a dangerous man to keep curious.
- Writer
