“Ice cream!” Finn shouts, immediately distracted.
Liam is still looking at me with those green eyes that are too perceptive for a five-year-old. “When will you be back?”
“Late. But I’ll check on you when I get home, okay?”
“Okay.”
Nadia stands and brushes off her dress. “They’ll be fine. We’re going to build the biggest tower this house has ever seen, and then we’re going to knock it down properly.”
“Properly!” Finn echoes, already running back to the blocks.
Liam lingers for a moment longer, then follows his brother.
“You look beautiful,” Nadia says, walking over to me. “That color is perfect on you.”
“Thank you. And thank you for watching them tonight.”
“I love watching them. They’re wonderful boys.” She hesitates, then adds quietly, “Julian has extra security on the estate tonight. There are three men stationed at the gates, with two more inside. The boys will be safe.”
The reassurance helps, but it also reminds me why the security is necessary.
“I should finish getting ready,” I say.
Nadia squeezes my hand once, then returns to the boys.
I go back upstairs and put on my heels, check my makeup one more time, and try to ignore the anxiety churning in my stomach.
It’s just a charity gala. A few hours of smiling and making small talk and playing the role Julian needs me to play. Then I can come home to my sons and pretend tonight never happened.
Julian is waiting in the foyer when I come downstairs. He’s in a tux, looking every bit the legitimate businessman he’s trying to become.
When he sees me, he smiles. “You look good, Aurelia. Like you never left.”
“I feel like an imposter.”
“You’re not. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
The car is waiting outside. Black, sleek, expensive. Julian helps me in, and we settle into the back seat while the driver pulls away from the estate.
“Nervous?” Julian asks.
“Terrified.”
“You’ll be fine. Just smile, be polite, let people see that you’re happy to be home.”
“What if someone asks where I’ve been?”
“Tell them you were traveling. Needed time away after everything with Victor. Keep it vague.”
“And if Cassian is there?”
Julian’s expression hardens. “He won’t be. The guest list is extremely exclusive, and the Rourkes don’t move in these circles.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know enough. And even if he does somehow show up, you stay away from him. If he approaches you, security will handle it.”
I want to believe him, but I can’t shake the feeling that tonight is going to go wrong.
