Her fingers loosened slightly, though her body still felt tense… like one wrong move would shatter everything. She shifted her gaze, just slightly.
Not fully looking at Sebastian. Not yet. She couldn't.
Because she knew. The moment their eyes met… Everything she had tried to bury would rise right back to the surface. And she wasn't sure she was ready to face it.
Not here. Not now. Not like this.
Julian, however, didn't look away. Not for a second. His eyes remained fixed on Sebastian, cold and unwavering. Measuring him. Reading him.
As if trying to understand why a man like that… would suddenly appear in their lives again. In this place. On this night.
There was no such thing as a coincidence. Not with people like him.
Across the room, Sebastian finally lifted his glass slightly. A subtle gesture. Almost polite. But there was something behind it. Something darker. Something knowing.
