HOPE
The clinking of silverware and soft classical music filled the extravagant dining hall. Crystal chandeliers sparkled above us like frozen fire. Every table was its own universe of whispered power plays and fake laughter.
I sat beside Ace, trying to blend in. Trying to remember that I was playing a role, a carefully scripted character who didn’t have real feelings for the man beside her. Too bad my body never got the memo.
Dinner had barely started when trouble arrived.
He walked in like he owned the damn floor. Broad shoulders, a scar splitting one brow, and the kind of smirk that promised danger for breakfast and disaster for dessert.
“Ace,” he called out smoothly as he approached our table. “Didn’t think you’d actually bring a date. She’s a knockout.”
Ace’s jaw clenched, but h
