As Sebastian and Sarah stepped back out into the gilded hallway, the muffled roar of the ballroom hit them like a physical wall of sound. The transition from the moonlit, marble silence to the frantic energy of the gala was jarring. Sarah adjusted the burgundy veil, her fingers still trembling from the residual adrenaline of seeing Martin.
Sebastian scanned the immediate vicinity, his eyes dark with a lethal focus. Martin was gone, vanished back into the sea of silk evening dresses and tuxedo suits like a snake retreating into tall grass.
"He's hiding," Sebastian muttered, his grip on Sarah's arm tightening just enough to offer reassurance without restricting her. "But he's trapped. There are no exits he can take without my men seeing him."
