The Crystal Pavilion glittered like a crown jewel in the heart of the city.
Golden chandeliers cascaded light across polished marble floors, while the elite of China's high society gathered in elegant clusters, champagne flutes in hand, voices low but sharp with curiosity.
Tonight wasn't just another charity gala.
Tonight, everyone was watching.
Because the Song family had arrived.
And where the Song family went… power followed.
—
The grand doors opened.
A hush rippled through the crowd.
Song Minkyu entered first, composed and authoritative, with Kate Song at his side, graceful, dignified.
And behind them...
Ji Eun.
She walked in slowly, dressed in a sleek ivory gown that hugged her figure with understated elegance. No loud embellishments, no unnecessary shine, just quiet, overwhelming presence.
But it wasn't her beauty that silenced the room.
It was her expression.
Calm.
Cold.
Unapologetically distant.
Whispers began immediately.
"Is that the Song heiress?"
"She looks different tonight…"
"They say her engagement is being announced..."
"To who?"
____
Across the hall, Park Hyun Woo stood among a circle of business elites. Even without trying, he commanded attention.
Black suit. Perfect posture. A glass of wine untouched in his hand.
His gaze shifted the moment Ji Eun entered.
And for the first time that evening, something flickered in his eyes.
Not surprise.
Not concern.
Interest.
"She came," one executive murmured beside him.
Hyun Woo's lips curved faintly.
"Of course she did," he said quietly.
"Ji Eun doesn't run from a battlefield."