EDEN'S POV
I only came to the charity cocktail because Richard insisted my appearance would calm investors after the recent rumors, and I'd already decided I'd stay twenty minutes, shake a few hands, donate another embarrassing amount of money and disappear before anyone could trap me in another conversation about market confidence.
That plan dies the second I step into the ballroom and spot Janice standing beside Amanda beneath the crystal chandeliers, laughing at something a waiter has whispered, because for one dangerous heartbeat the music, the crowd and the entire hotel disappear until she's the only person I can see.
"Well," Richard murmurs beside me, catching the direction of my stare before I even realize I'm staring, "there goes your twenty-minute exit strategy," and before I
