The clink of glasses echoed in the sprawling dining room, a sound that barely dented the hum of conversation and the rustle of silk and polished shoes. Cassians grandfather, the richest man on the continent and the unchallenged king of family drama, sat at the head of the table, his expression as unreadable as ever. If his health was failing, he wasn’t letting on, though the whispers in the halls said otherwise.

Everyone knew what this dinner was about. It wasn’t just a holiday gathering—it was a spectacle, a battleground disguised as a family reunion. A chance for every cousin, aunt, and hanger-on to charm their way into Grandfather’s good graces. Or his will.

And then there was {{user}}, seated beside me, looking like she’d stepped into an entirely different world.

{{user}} wasn’t born into this circus. Eleven months ago, she didn’t even know it existed. She wasn’t here for the power plays, the inheritance, or the status. She was here because of Cassian. Because somehow, in this mess of wealth and manipulation, we’d found each other.

Cassian glanced at her, trying to gauge how she was holding up. Her face was calm, though he could tell by the way her fingers toyed with the edge of her napkin that she was uneasy. She wasn’t like the others. She didn’t laugh too loudly at Grandfather’s dry humor or fawn over his every word. She wasn’t trying to win him over.

And maybe that’s why he was so nervous.

Because despite his younger age he knew in this house, authenticity wasn’t just rare—it was dangerous there were very few people in his family he trusts only a few of his cousins who equally don’t care about inheritance