Upstairs, the world felt very different. Leo had walked Lili back to her room, his hand never leaving her waist as they navigated the thinning crowd. When they reached her door, he didn't let go. He pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes closed, breathing in the scent of her hair.
"I have to go back down," Leo whispered, though he made no move to leave. "I have to play the part for a few more hours until the guests leave. But tomorrow, Lili... tomorrow everything changes. I'm telling Luca the truth, and then I'm telling the board."
"Leo, be careful," Lili whispered, her fingers tracing the sharp line of his jaw. "Sienna... she looked dangerous."
Leo caught her hand and kissed her palm, his gaze intense and unwavering. "Let her be dangerous. I've spent my whole life building an empire for a father who doesn't care. I'm done building walls. I'd rather be a man with you than a king without you."
He kissed her once more—a soft, promise-filled touch—and then turned to walk back into the lion's den of the party.
Lili didn't sleep. She sat by her window, watching the shadows of the mountains fade as the first grey light of dawn touched the lake. She felt a strange, heavy premonition in the air.
Just as the sun began to peek over the jagged peaks, a convoy of black armored SUVs thundered up the gravel driveway. They didn't slow down; they drove with an authority that suggested they owned the mountain itself.
Lili stood up, her heart hammering. From her balcony, she saw the middle car stop. A driver stepped out and opened the door.
A man stepped onto the gravel. He was older, with hair as white as the snow caps, but he moved with the same predatory grace as Leo. He wore a suit that probably cost more than Lili's entire college tuition. This was Arthur Vance, the patriarch of the family and the man who held Leo's destiny in his hands.
Beside him, Sienna appeared on the porch, wrapped in a fur coat, a look of smug satisfaction on her face.
The heavy front doors of the lodge swung open, and Leo stepped out, still in his dress shirt from the night before, his sleeves rolled up. He looked tired, but when he saw his father, his posture went rigid.
"Father," Leo said, his voice echoing in the crisp morning air.
Arthur Vance didn't say a word. He walked up the stairs and stood face-to-face with his son. The silence was deafening. Then, without warning, he raised his hand and pointed toward the second-floor balcony where Lili was standing.
"Pack her bags, Leo," Arthur commanded, his voice like grinding stones. "Or I will have my men throw her out into the snow myself. You have ten minutes to choose: the girl, or the Vance name."
The tension in the crisp morning air was thick enough to choke. Arthur Vance stood like a statue of ancient granite, his eyes cold and dissecting as they flickered from Leo to the balcony where Lili stood, frozen.
Leo took a slow, deliberate breath. The "CEO" persona—the one that had won him countless board meetings—slid back over his face like a visor. He knew that if he admitted his love now, his father would crush Lili before the sun fully rose. He had to play the only card he had left.
"Father, you're overreacting to the gossip of a jealous woman," Leo said, his voice dropping into a smooth, bored drawl. He stepped down one stair, closing the distance between him and the patriarch. "Lili is Luca's guest. She is his closest friend from college. I was merely ensuring that our guests were... properly looked after."
Arthur's eyes narrowed, shifting to Sienna, who let out a sharp, indignant gasp.
"Properly looked after?" Sienna hissed. "Arthur, I saw them! The intimacy on that balcony wasn't 'hospitality'!"
Leo turned a chilling, dismissive gaze toward her. "Sienna has been high-strung all week, Father. She's looking for ghosts where there are only students. If I was 'intimate,' it was in the interest of keeping Luca's reputation intact. You know how reckless he can be."
Luca, who had been standing just inside the doorway, stepped out. He looked at Lili, then at Leo's stiff back. He understood the gamble his brother was taking.
"It's true, Dad," Luca said, his voice steady. "Lili is my best friend. Leo was just... being the protective older brother. Sienna is making a scene over nothing."
Arthur Vance stayed silent for a long, agonizing minute. He looked up at Lili, who was clutching the balcony railing, her face pale. Then he looked back at his son.
"If she is truly nothing more than your brother's little friend," Arthur said, his voice a low vibration of power, "then you will have no objection to the announcement."
Leo's jaw tightened. "What announcement?"
"I've decided to move the timeline up," Arthur declared, his gaze locking onto Leo's like a vice. "If there is no scandal, then there is no reason to wait. Your engagement gala to Sienna is officially fixed for next Saturday. The contracts for the merger will be signed in front of the press."
Sienna's face transformed from rage to a triumphant, glowing smirk. She stepped forward, reclaiming her spot at Leo's side.
"Next Saturday," Leo repeated, the words tasting like ash in his mouth.
"Next Saturday," Arthur confirmed. "And to prove there is no 'distraction,' the girl and your brother's friends are welcome to attend. After all, if she's just a friend of the family, she should be happy to celebrate your union. Is that understood, Leo?"
Leo felt Lili's gaze on him from above. He knew she was listening to every word. He knew he was agreeing to marry another woman right in front of her. But if he said no, his father would destroy her life, her scholarship, and her family's safety in an instant.
"Understood," Leo whispered, his soul feeling like it was being torn in two.
Arthur nodded, satisfied. "Good. Get inside. We have a gala to plan."
As the group moved back into the lodge, Leo didn't look up at the balcony. He couldn't. He had saved her from being thrown into the snow, but he had just invited her to watch him give his life away to someone else.