ETHAN'S POV
I never liked parties. Not even the ones thrown in my name.
But the gala had been necessary. An illusion of perfection.
An arrangement of appearances. For the media. For the board. For the sharks who watched my every move.
I stood alone in my office the morning after, the city blinking awake behind the glass wall. Sunlight spilled into the room, turning the floor golden, but all I saw were shadows.
Ava's scent lingered faintly in the air, something soft and floral. She'd left before I woke up. I wasn't surprised. I wouldn't have stayed
either.
My tie lay crumpled on the edge of my desk. My jacket had been tossed across the couch. I looked like someone who had partied too hard.
But the only thing I was intoxicated by was silence.
And the memory of her eyes.
Ava had worn red. Not because it was flattering, though it
was, but because she knew it would unsettle them.
My family. The guests. Everyone who had come expecting to
see a docile bride.
