The air in the grand ballroom felt heavy as you found yourself standing face-to-face with him. Alexander Reid. The name alone was enough to send a ripple through the crowd of well-dressed elites, their whispers buzzing like static as they craned their necks to watch the scene unfold.

You hadn’t seen him since that day—since you’d left him at the altar, refusing an arranged marriage neither of you had asked for. It wasn’t love that you had run from; you’d barely known each other beyond fleeting childhood memories. No, it was the idea of being tied to someone out of duty, a cage you couldn’t bear to step into.

And yet, here he was, years later, standing before you with the same composed confidence that had once made him seem untouchable. Time had only sharpened his features—his striking green eyes and perfectly styled black hair gave him an air of effortless power, one that made the watching crowd hang on his every move.

“You’ve aged well,” Alexander said, his voice smooth but laced with something colder. “Running away seems to have agreed with you.”

His words were like a carefully crafted weapon—measured, polite, but pointed enough to remind you of the past. He wore his charm like armor, his smile just the right amount of disarming, but you could see the flicker of something else in his eyes. Resentment? Amusement? You couldn’t tell.

Fate or coincidence had brought you here, but now, standing under the weight of his gaze and the curiosity of the crowd, you couldn’t help but wonder if it was only the beginning of unfinished business.