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I run a hand through my hair in frustration. “Being direct about emotions doesn’t come naturally to me. You know that.”

“Talk to her at the gala. Somewhere private. Tell her how you feel, plain and simple.”

My throat feels tight at the thought. This could change everything between Mary and me. “That’s what you’re planning with Bash’s sister?”

“Let’s say I have to think about how to tell Bash.”

“Good luck with that.”

What if she rejects me? Even worse—what if she pretends like nothing ever happened? Acts polite but distant, keeping me firmly in the role of her father’s consultant and nothing more.

The glass door slides open behind me.

“Hey, you coming back in?” Brandon asks. “We’re about to start another round.”

“Yeah, be right there.”

I’ll take my chances at the gala.

Chapter 25

Mary

Round tables draped in ivory tablecloths fill the space, surrounded by elegant guests dressed to the nines attending the charity gala. Waiters in crisp white uniforms weave between rounds of polite laughter and tinkling champagne glasses while a string quartet plays in the background.

Ella, my mother, and my father stand on the right side of the ballroom. Part of me wants to say hello, but another part wants to avoid them as long as possible.

We sit at a table near the center of the room, sipping champagne. Lil fidgets with her napkin, avoiding eye contact with anyone nearby. Meanwhile, Gemma leans back in her chair, surveying the room with a cool detachment that seems to deflect unwanted advances.

I take another sip of my champagne, feeling its bitterness coat my tongue. I overheard my father inviting him, and mymother was insistent on his cousin attending this event, so Connor can’t be far, right?

Ever since our argument, things have been different. More distant. I miss his touch, his kisses, the lazy Sundays we’d spend curled up on the couch watching TV shows and simply being with each other. Now, all of that is gone.

Does he feel the same? Or worse, did he never care at all? I’m probably the only one longing for things to go back to how they were. We rarely even see each other at work anymore. I’m almost certain he’s avoiding me on purpose. Maybe it’s for the better.

The atmosphere in the ballroom shifts as conversations quiet and heads turn toward the entrance.

My gaze drifts across the room again. And this time, it lands on a familiar figure in a dark blue suit.

Connor.

He’s alone, without a date on his arm. Relief trickles through, and a small, foolish part of me wishes to be with him, as a date, tonight.

Beside Connor is his cousin Elijah with Esther Whitman, a notorious social climber, hanging off his arm. While Elijah has a more open, charming aura, Connor’s is darker and more mysterious.

I murmur under my breath, “Miltons.”

“Who?” Gemma whips her head toward me.

“Elijah and Connor Milton. Very rich and successful—the total package.” I nod toward Esther. “And, of course, Ms. Whitman has already sunk her claws into the older one. What asurprise.” Luckily, not Connor. Would he fall for Esther? Is she his type? Would he tell her to get out of his car, too?

Gemma’s expression sours. “Seems so.”

What is going on? Did I miss—

“Wait, the left one is Connor Milton? The one you told us about?” Lil asks.

“The one and only.” The one and only who I can’t get rid of in my mind.

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