At Her Discretion

CHAPTER THIRTEEN :ECHOES AFTER MIDNIGHT

The gala ended a little after eleven.

Luxury cars rolled away from the hotel one after another, disappearing into the glowing streets of the city.

Inside one of the black limousines, the atmosphere was noticeably different from the ride there.

Not awkward.

Just... tired.

The city lights drifted past the tinted windows in streaks of gold and white.

Adrian leaned back with an exaggerated sigh.

"I've officially smiled enough to last me until next year."

Sebastian didn't look up from his phone.

"I give it two days."

"Two days?" Adrian placed a hand over his chest. "You wound me."

"I know you."

"Fair."

Naomi smiled.

"I'll admit, you handled the reporters better than I expected."

Adrian flashed his trademark grin.

"Years of practice."

"They asked if you were secretly engaged."

"They ask that every other month."

"And?"

"I enjoy disappointing people."

Sebastian let out a quiet snort.

"That explains a lot."

Adrian pointed at him.

"There! Did you see that?"

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

"See what?"

"He laughed."

"I exhaled," Sebastian corrected.

"You laughed."

"I breathed."

"Very enthusiastically."

Naomi shook her head.

"You two argue like children."

"We've been told that before," Adrian replied.

"Repeatedly," Sebastian added.

A small laugh escaped Naomi.

For a brief moment, everything felt normal again.

Then the laughter faded.

Silence settled over the limousine.

It lasted only a few seconds.

Adrian broke it almost immediately.

"You know," he said, "I think Daniel deserved getting scared."

Sebastian frowned.

"Who?"

"The guy who was flirting with Naomi."

"Oh."

"He looked like he was reconsidering every decision he'd ever made."

Sebastian shrugged.

"He'll survive."

"I'm sure he will."

Adrian laughed.

It sounded natural.

Almost.

Naomi looked at him.

His smile never left his face.

Not even for a second.

It was almost as if he was determined to keep everyone talking.

To keep the silence away.

She frowned ever so slightly.

Something felt... off.

She couldn't explain it.

If she hadn't spent the entire evening around him, she probably wouldn't have noticed.

But she had.

And Adrian seemed to be trying just a little too hard to be Adrian.

The rest of the drive passed with light conversation.

No one mentioned Ethan.

No one mentioned the business card tucked safely inside Naomi's clutch.

Yet somehow...

His words lingered in the car anyway.

The penthouse welcomed them with familiar silence.

Adrian slipped off his suit jacket the moment the doors closed behind them.

"I've decided," he announced, loosening his tie, "charity is wonderful."

Sebastian hummed.

"But?"

"But people are exhausting."

"I thought you liked people."

"I like leaving them."

Naomi laughed quietly as she kicked off her heels.

"My feet agree with you."

"I knew they would."

Adrian pointed toward the hallway.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm officially retiring for the night."

"You say that like you're eighty," Sebastian said.

"I feel eighty."

"You've been saying that since you turned twenty-five."

"And I've been right every single time."

He grinned, gave them a casual wave, and headed toward the guest wing.

Halfway down the hallway...

His phone vibrated.

The sound was soft.

Barely noticeable.

Adrian stopped walking.

He glanced at the screen.

For the briefest moment, the smile slipped from his face.

Then, just as quickly as it had disappeared, it returned.

He declined the call without a word, slid the phone back into his pocket, and continued walking as though nothing had happened.

Naomi watched him disappear around the corner.

"...That's strange."

Sebastian looked up.

"What is?"

She hesitated.

Then shook her head.

"Nothing."

Maybe she was imagining things.

After all...

Everyone had long days.

Nearly thirty minutes later, Naomi stood in her room, finally free from the emerald gown she'd spent the entire evening wearing.

She carefully removed her earrings before placing them on the vanity.

One bracelet.

One necklace.

One ring.

By the time she was finished, the room felt wonderfully quiet.

Her clutch rested on the edge of the dresser.

She reached for it.

Almost absentmindedly.

The white business card slipped into her hand.

Ethan Carter.

Nothing beneath the name.

No company.

No title.

Just a phone number.

She turned the card over.

Blank.

"What exactly do you want me to find?"

The question lingered in the empty room.

She considered tearing the card in half.

It would certainly solve the problem.

Instead, she opened the bedside drawer and placed it inside.

Out of sight.

Out of mind.

Or at least...

That was the plan.

She switched off the lamp and climbed into bed.

For exactly three minutes.

Then she sighed.

Sleep wasn't coming.

Not tonight.

Giving up, she climbed out of bed, slipped on a pair of slippers and quietly made her way toward the kitchen.

Maybe a cup of tea would succeed where sleep had failed.

She rounded the corner.

Sebastian was already there, waiting for the kettle to boil.

He looked up as she entered.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Naomi returned the tired smile.

"Not even a little."

Sebastian lifted the kettle from the stove.

"I was hoping I wasn't the only one."

Naomi walked over to the kitchen island.

"I'm starting to think tonight came with complimentary insomnia."

"It probably did."

He reached into one of the cabinets.

"Tea?"

She nodded.

"Please."

A few moments later, two mugs rested on the counter, steam curling gently into the air.

The penthouse was unusually quiet.

Just the occasional hum of the refrigerator and the soft rain that had begun tapping against the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Naomi wrapped both hands around her mug.

"I'd forgotten how peaceful this place could be."

Sebastian leaned against the counter.

"That's because Adrian isn't talking."

She smiled.

"He's usually responsible for at least eighty percent of the noise."

"Ninety."

"I was trying to be generous."

"Don't."

A laugh escaped her.

"You know," she said, "I don't think I've laughed this much in a while."

Sebastian looked down into his mug.

"I'll pretend that was a compliment."

"It was."

A comfortable silence settled between them.

It no longer felt awkward.

Just... easy.

Naomi took another sip of tea.

"I still don't understand how people enjoy those events."

"They don't."

She looked up.

"They enjoy being seen at those events."

She considered that for a moment.

"That's... surprisingly accurate."

"I have those occasionally."

"I'll make a note of it."

He gave the faintest shrug.

"I've spent my whole life attending galas, fundraisers and charity dinners."

"And you still hate them."

"I've become very good at hiding it."

She smiled knowingly.

"So have I."

Their eyes met briefly.

There was an understanding there.

The quiet kind.

The kind that didn't need explaining.

After a moment, Sebastian spoke again.

"You were good tonight."

Naomi looked at him over the rim of her mug.

"You already complimented me, Twice"

"I know."

"I don't think you have another one left."

"I don't."

She laughed.

"So why say it again?"

"Because you were."

Her smile softened.

"Thank you."

Sebastian nodded once.

He wasn't good with compliments.

One sincere one was about his limit.

They finished their tea in companionable silence.

No pressure to keep talking.

No need to fill every quiet moment.

Somehow...

That made the silence feel lighter.

Naomi glanced at the clock on the microwave.

1:17 a.m.

"We should probably get some sleep."

"We should."

"Think we'll actually manage it?"

Sebastian considered the question.

"No."

She smiled.

"Honest."

"I try."

The two of them rinsed their mugs and placed them on the drying rack.

As they reached the hallway, they paused.

"Goodnight, Sebastian."

"Goodnight, Naomi."

She disappeared toward her room.

Sebastian headed in the opposite direction.

Halfway there, he noticed the balcony doors standing open.

A cool breeze drifted into the hallway.

Someone was outside.

He stepped closer.

Adrian stood with both hands resting on the railing, the city lights stretching endlessly before him.

His jacket had been discarded.

His tie hung loosely around his neck.

He didn't turn around.

"I thought you'd gone to bed," Sebastian said.

"I did."

"You've got an interesting definition of sleeping."

A faint smile crossed Adrian's face.

"So I've been told."

Sebastian walked out onto the balcony.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable.

Just unfamiliar.

"You alright?"

Adrian kept his eyes on the skyline.

"...Yeah."

It was a simple answer.

Too simple.

Sebastian had known Adrian long enough to recognize when he was lying.

He also knew better than to push.

If Adrian wanted to talk, he would.

If he didn't...

No amount of questions would change that.

Sebastian gave a small nod.

"Goodnight."

This time, Adrian looked at him.

The smile returned.

Easy.

Carefree.

The same one he'd worn all evening.

"Night."

Sebastian went back inside, quietly closing the balcony door behind him.

Adrian remained exactly where he was.

Alone with the city.

Across the penthouse, Naomi lay awake staring at the ceiling.

She had tried counting backwards.

She had tried closing her eyes.

Neither had worked.

With a quiet sigh, she opened the bedside drawer.

The white business card was still there.

She picked it up.

Ethan Carter.

Her thumb brushed across the embossed letters.

She thought about his words.

"Everyone has a past."

She thought about Adrian's smile.

How forced it had looked in the limousine.

How quickly it had disappeared when Ethan appeared.

She thought about Sebastian.

How naturally he'd spoken tonight.

How easy it had been to sit with him in the kitchen without saying much at all.

Too many questions.

Not enough answers.

After a long moment, she placed the card back inside the drawer.

Then she closed it.

"Not tonight," she whispered.

The room fell quiet once more.

Elsewhere in the penthouse...

Adrian still stood alone on the balcony.

And although none of them knew it yet...

The charity gala hadn't ended that night.

It had simply opened a door that could never be closed again.