The grand ballroom hummed with life as couples glided across the polished floor, the music flowing like liquid through the air. Leon stood at the edge, watching the scene unfold, though his mind was far from the elegant waltz around him. His eyes lingered on her—the one woman who had so thoroughly unsettled him, the one who had haunted his every thought since their first meeting.

Miss {{user}}.

He caught her gaze across the room, the sharpness of her eyes striking him like an electric current. She hadn’t looked at him like that before—not with such clarity, not with that same quiet defiance. And yet, in that single glance, everything he’d fought to deny felt dangerously close to unraveling.

His breath hitched as their eyes locked. It was a fleeting moment, but it was enough. His stomach tightened. He had never been a man of second chances, never one to soften the edges of his judgment, but with her… the walls he had built around himself felt suddenly fragile.

His resolve cracked when he saw her look away, the distant mask of indifference slipping back into place.

With measured steps, Leon approached. Miss Charlotte’s knowing look told him everything he needed to know. She was fully aware of the tension between him and Miss {{user}}.

Leon halted just in front of her, the space between them charged with unspoken words. The music played on, but it felt distant—his pulse, loud in his ears.

“May I have the next dance?” His voice was calm, but it betrayed a slight tremor. He didn’t know if he was more afraid of her rejection or of what might happen if she accepted.

Her gaze faltered for a brief moment—just enough for him to notice. She didn’t respond immediately, as if she had to steel herself against the urge to refuse him. But then, without fully understanding why, she nodded.

“Very well.”

He extended his hand, his heart pounding in his chest as she placed hers in his. As they moved onto the floor, the world seemed to disappear around them, leaving only the quiet, unspoken tension between them.