When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing heavily. Sarah’s eyes were wide, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. Julian rested his forehead against hers, a slow, triumphant smile curving his lips as he noted the completely intact crimson color on her mouth.
"Good to know," he whispered, his thumb brushing over her cheek.
He offered her his arm, and she took it, floating on a cloud of adrenaline as they walked out the front door.
Parked at the curb was a sleek, black limousine. A driver in a dark suit was standing by the open rear door, waiting for them.
Sarah stopped on the walkway, her eyes widening. "Julian... a limo? You really didn't need to go to all this trouble."
Julian looked down at her. He lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "Sarah, there is absolutely nothing I wouldn't do for you. Tonight is your night. I want it to be perfect."
***
The ballroom of the downtown hotel was a sea of crystal chandeliers, clinking champagne glasses, and the elite of the city's architectural and developmental world.
Sarah walked into the mingling reception with her arm looped securely through Julian's. She felt a protective bubble around her. For the first time in her life, she wasn't shrinking into the background to let Harrison network. She was walking tall.
But almost immediately, Sarah noticed something strange.
People weren't just looking at her; they were looking at Julian. And they were approaching with an eagerness that went beyond casual politeness.
"Julian! Good to see you, man," a prominent real estate developer said, clapping Julian on the shoulder. "Are we still on for the high-rise consultation next week?"
"Absolutely, Tom," Julian replied smoothly.
A few minutes later, the head of a construction firm walked over, beaming. "Julian, I was hoping you'd be here. My board wants to talk about expanding our contract with your team. You've built quite the empire over there."
Sarah stood quietly, her brow furrowing.Empire?When the man walked away, Sarah leaned in close to Julian. "Empire? I thought you were a structural engineer. You work for Keystone Structural, right?"
Julian looked at her, blinking in mild surprise. "Oh. I... I didn't mention it? I own Keystone Structural, Sarah. I'm the CEO. I started it about twelve years ago."
Sarah stared at him. Her brain rapidly calculated the scale of Keystone—it was one of the largest, most lucrative engineering firms in the Midwest.
"You own it," she repeated, her voice sounding a little distant.
"I do," he said, suddenly looking a bit concerned by her reaction. "Does that matter?"
Sarah felt a sudden, icy drop in her stomach. The imposter syndrome hit her like a freight train. Julian wasn't just a successful engineer; he was a millionaire. He was a titan in their industry. And she was... Sarah. A junior partner with a messy divorce and a house she was just barely keeping together. The disparity in their worlds suddenly felt massive, yawning open beneath her feet.
"No, it doesn't matter," Sarah lied, pasting on a smile and reaching for a champagne flute from a passing tray. "Just surprised."
She took a long sip of the champagne, trying to quiet the loud, insecure voice in her head. She turned to look at the crowd, desperate for a distraction.
"Sarah!"
The booming voice cut through the chatter. Sarah turned, immediately recognizing the voice of Ryan, the senior partner at her architecture firm and her direct boss.
She put on her best professional smile, turning to greet him. "Ryan, it's so wonderful to see you—"
The words died in her throat. The smile shattered on her face.
Ryan, a wealthy, powerful man in his late forties, was walking toward her in his tailored tuxedo. But he wasn't alone.
Standing next to him, wearing a blindingly expensive diamond necklace and a designer gown that flawlessly hugged her slender figure, was a woman whose arm was intertwined intimately with Ryan's.
Sarah’s blood ran completely cold. The ballroom seemed to spin. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't comprehend what she was looking at. How did they know each other? Why were they here together, arm in arm? A suffocating wave of panic rose in her chest as her brain scrambled to make sense of the impossible nightmare standing right in front of her. This couldn't be happening.
The woman stopped a few feet away, her eyes locking onto Sarah's shocked, pale face. A slow, venomous, and entirely victorious smile spread across her lips.
