We moved into the main ballroom first. The layout had changed overnight—more floral samples, a mockup of seating clusters, and an installation half-built in one corner where Ryker’s fiancée, Isabel, wanted a floating garden to descendfrom the ceiling. I scribbled mental notes, checking off focal points and congestion zones.
Monte adjusted his stance beside me, his tone shifting into logistics mode. “High-profile guests will want a discreet entrance. If we use the west drive, I can set up a screened check-in point behind the hedge wall. No photos, no gawkers.”
I nodded. “Perfect. You’ll coordinate with Bea on that.”
He raised a brow. “Bea?”
“Of course, I’ll need my assistant. She’s flying in this afternoon. I’m putting her in Charleston full-time until the last wedding’s done.”
“Okay, I get it. She is the one who calms down crying aunts and makes angry bridesmaids confess their sins.”
I smiled. “That’s our girl. She’s like Xanax in kitten heels. Looks soft, but she’s a shark with a seating chart.”
“Good.” Monte scanned the ceiling. “You’re gonna need her.”
I crossed my arms, thoughtful. “I don’t expect much drama from the fiancées. They seem grounded. Focused.”
Monte snorted. “Yeah. But this isn’t about them. It’s the guests. The ones who don’t like that these guys are marrying outside the country club circuit. The ones who think military service is fine for a résumé but not for bloodlines.”
He wasn’t wrong.
And that’s why he was here.
The calm behind the chaos. I trusted him with everything—my business, my life, my reputation.
Right now, I trusted him to keep a lid on anything that might boil over.
I glanced around the still-empty room, mind spinning through timelines and to-do lists. The last thing I needed was distractions.
Which, of course, meant I’d already noticed the one person who wasn’t here.
Silas.
Not a single glimpse of tall, dangerous, brooding in black.
My skin tingled anyway.
I tried to focus. I really did. But all I could think about was the way his mouth had tasted. The way he’d grabbed my wrist and kissed me like I was oxygen and he’d been drowning. And now?
Now he was gone. Silent.
Which made me wonder if yesterday had even been real …
Or if The Ghost had already disappeared.
I straightened my posture and looked at Monte. “Let’s do another sweep. Garden next. I want line-of-sight maps and a plan for evening coverage. With this many billionaires in one place, we don’t leave a single window unsecured.”
He nodded. “On it.”
I followed him out toward the terrace, the hem of my dress whispering around my thighs with every step.
Silas or not, I had a job to do. I’d be damned if anyone was going to shake me off my game.
We moved along the garden path, early dew still clinging to the edges of the rose bushes. The air smelled like money and magnolia—polished, clean, and vaguely dangerous. Somewhere inside, I could hear the low hum of voices and the distant clatter of silver trays. Dominion Hall was waking up.
Monte walked beside me with his hands clasped behind his back, taking it all in with a trained eye. “You think these brothers are gonna play nice when things get real?”
“Define ‘real,’” I said, eyeing a hedge that would be perfect for discreetly stationed security.
