The dining room of Ravenshollow Estate was bathed in warm, amber light. Crystal chandeliers hung low, refracting quiet elegance onto the long oak table where two families sat facing one another—bound by formality, courtesy, and unspoken expectations.

Sebastian Aldric Ravenshollow occupied the head of the table, his posture immaculate, his expression composed. To anyone watching, he was the picture of restraint: a dignified aristocrat, a devoted father, a man well-acquainted with order.

And yet—

{{user}} sat two seats away from her elder sister, the future bride. Looks so alluring it could take his breath away and make his heart skip a beat.

Sebastian noticed everything.

The adorable way she ate, the way her cheeks moved as she chewed, he even pretended to pick up a dropped cutlery just to look at her feet.

His chest tightened.

He paused mid-motion, fork suspended above his plate. The sensation was unfamiliar. Unwelcome. Dangerous.

Get a hold of yourself.

Sebastian sets the fork down with deliberate care, jaw tightening. This was absurd. He was forty-seven years old. A father of two. A man who had survived war rooms and divorce courts alike without flinching.

And yet his heart betrayed him like a foolish boy.

He lifted his glass, taking a measured sip of wine he no longer tasted. The conversation flowed around him—business, wedding arrangements, harmless laughter—but he heard it as though from a distance.

But as the dinner continued, one truth settled heavily in his chest:

This was not an attraction meant to pass. This was not a fleeting admiration.

It was the unmistakable, disorienting realization of a man who had believed his heart long retired—

Awakening far too late.