Ava’s POV:

“Let go of me.”

Theodore’s fingers tightened around my wrist, subtle enough that no one else would notice. His grip was firm, practiced, the kind meant to remind without leaving a mark.

“Lower your voice,” he murmured, smiling as if we were sharing something intimate.

“I said let go.”

He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear, his smile calm and controlled. “Do you want your father in prison or not?”

My breath caught instantly. The room seemed to tilt, the glittering lights blurring at the edges of my vision. The threat was not new, but it never softened. It only sharpened with repetition.

“You promised this was over,” I whispered, careful not to let my voice tremble.

“I promised cooperation,” he said softly. “Not comfort.”

Laughter rang out nearby. Glasses clinked. A photographer shifted direction, his lens turning toward us. Theodore’s grip loosened, transforming into something that could pass as affectionate.

“Smile, Ava,” he murmured. “You are my wife now.”

The word echoed in my mind. Wife. It still felt foreign, like a costume I had been forced into wearing. I smiled anyway. Not because I wanted to, but because I understood the threat behind the request. Because I knew what happened when I forgot my role.

“You look tense.”

The voice came from behind me, low and unfamiliar. I froze before I could stop myself.

Julian Hart.

He leaned casually against the wall, a glass in his hand, dark eyes locked on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. No introduction. No hesitation. Just presence, heavy and deliberate, as if he had always been standing there and I was only now noticing.

“Julian,” Theodore said smoothly, releasing my wrist and turning with practiced ease. “Glad you could make it.”

“I would not miss it,” Julian replied. His voice was soft, but it carried across the small space between us. “The evening looks lively.”

“Lively is one word,” Theodore said, glancing at me. “Ava, you are ready for this?”

Ready. The word almost made me laugh.

“Yes,” I said. My voice sounded brittle even to my own ears.

Julian’s mouth curved faintly. “Good. I like watching people navigate rules they do not control.”

Something in his tone tightened my chest. I tried to look away, to focus on the familiar faces drifting past us, but Theodore had already moved on. He was shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries, collecting approval. Julian’s gaze did not leave me.

“You always look calm,” he said softly. “Even when nothing is calm.”

I pressed my lips together before answering. “I am fine,” I said, forcing steadiness into my voice.

He tilted his head slightly, studying me as if I were a puzzle he had already solved. “You lie well.”

A shiver ran through me, uninvited. “I do not.”

“Yes, you do,” he said, leaning just close enough for me to feel the heat of his presence. “And you know it.”

Theodore’s hand settled lightly on my arm. “Ava, stay with me.”

I nodded, grateful and resentful all at once. Julian’s eyes flicked toward him briefly before returning to me. He did not speak. He did not move. Yet the tension between us felt physical, pressing against my ribs.

“Drink?” Theodore asked, offering a flute of champagne.

I took it without hesitation. Our fingers brushed. I did not flinch. I refused to give him that satisfaction. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Julian’s gaze narrow. He noticed everything. Always noticing.

“Careful,” Julian murmured, so quietly that only I could hear. “Every move matters.”

My throat tightened as I swallowed. “Why are you here?” I asked under my breath.

“Curiosity,” he replied easily. “And timing.”

“You have perfect timing,” I whispered.

Julian’s lips curved slightly. “Not perfect. Just enough to make you think it is.”

A short laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “You are impossible.”

“You have no idea,” he said, his voice dropping lower.

Theodore gestured toward the dance floor. “Shall we?”

I let him lead me away, my smile fixed in place for him, for the crowd, for the cameras flashing at the edge of the room. Julian stayed behind, watching. Not moving. Not speaking. Just watching, as if the entire evening revolved around this moment.

“You seem distracted.”

The words brushed against my thoughts like an echo. I glanced over my shoulder. Julian had not moved, but his attention was unwavering.

“I am not,” I replied.

“You are,” he said simply. “And you know it.”

I scanned the room quickly. No one noticed. Theodore’s focus had already shifted elsewhere. A thrill of fear ran through me, sharp and unwelcome, followed by something else I did not want to examine.

“You always attract attention,” Julian said, his voice low and deliberate. “Even when you want to disappear.”

“I do not want to disappear,” I whispered.

He smiled faintly. “Sometimes wanting to disappear is the only way to survive.”

My chest tightened. I said nothing. My thoughts tangled together, each one pulling at the next. I wanted to tell him to leave me alone. I wanted to run. I wanted to collapse against him and let someone else carry the weight for once.

Theodore spun me onto the dance floor, his hands settling at my waist. “Relax,” he said. “Just for a moment.”

I tried. I followed his lead, letting the music guide my steps. The room blurred into color and sound, but Julian’s eyes never left me. Every movement, every glance, every breath I took, he measured.

“You know this is dangerous,” he whispered.

I froze mid-step. “What?”

“Being near me,” he said. “Being here. You feel it, do you not?”

“Yes,” I admitted, my voice barely audible. “I feel it.”

He took a slow step back, retreating into the shadows. His presence lingered long after he moved, pressing down on me like a weight I could not escape.

“Focus,” Theodore said, spinning me around. “Enjoy the night. We will leave when it is over.”

I smiled again. For him. For the cameras. For the illusion we were selling.

Julian’s voice floated across the room, soft and private. “Do not think you can hide from me.”

Ice settled in my chest. Theodore glanced toward him. “Julian, stay out of trouble.”

“I am never in trouble,” Julian said lightly. “I make the trouble.”

My heart pounded painfully. “What do you want from me?” I asked, barely above a whisper.

He stepped closer, careful and measured. “Nothing yet,” he said. “But soon you will understand what you already fear.”

I tried to speak. The words would not come.

“You will see me again,” he continued quietly. “Much sooner than you think.”

The room felt smaller, brighter, colder all at once. My body ached with tension, with heat, with something I refused to name. Theodore smiled at me, oblivious to the storm gathering just out of sight.

“Ava, are you ready to leave?”

“Yes,” I said, forcing calm into my voice.

Julian’s eyes held mine one last time before he slipped back into the crowd. His words lingered like both threat and promise.

“You cannot run from this,” he whispered.

“I… I will not,” I whispered back, unsure if it was defiance or surrender.

His smile was faint, knowing, and deadly. “Good. Because I will find you.”

The room pulsed around me, too loud, too bright. My hands shook as I tightened my grip on the glass.

“Yes,” I murmured, though I did not know what I was agreeing to.

Julian leaned closer, almost invisible among the guests. “Do not let him think you are safe,” he said.

Camera shutters snapped, freezing the moment. I pressed my lips together. “I cannot,” I whispered, my pulse racing.

“Then you will have to find ways,” he replied calmly. “Ways to survive without him knowing.”

“Ava, dinner is served,” someone called.

I swallowed hard. “Yes. I will be right there.”

Julian melted back into the shadows, his final words trailing after me. “Do not forget, darling. I am always watching.”

A shiver crept up my spine as the weight of the night settled fully around me.

The gala had only just begun.