The brunch was held at the Sky-High Pavilion, a restaurant that hovered over the city with glass floors and a view that made Xavier's head spin. The air smelled of expensive champagne and the perfume of women who had never known a day of struggle.
Seraphina moved through the room like a shark in silk, her hand possessively tucked into Xavier's arm. She was playing the "doting fiancée" perfectly, but her grip was tight—a silent warning to keep his mouth shut about the basement.
"Seraphina! Darling, you look... adequate," a sharp, melodic voice rang out.
A woman in a shimmering emerald dress sashayed toward them. She was beautiful, with dark, predatory eyes and a smile that looked like it belonged on a cat.
"Isabella," Seraphina replied, her voice dropping ten degrees. "I see you're still wearing last season's colors. How brave of you."
Isabella didn't even flinch. Her gaze slid over to Xavier, scanning him from his polished shoes to his styled hair. She stepped closer, ignoring Seraphina entirely.
"And who is this handsome mystery?" Isabella purred, reaching out to trail a finger along Xavier's lapel. "The rumors didn't do him justice. You've been hiding him away, Seraphina. Are you afraid someone might steal him?"
Xavier felt Seraphina's fingernails dig into his arm. "This is Xavier. My fiancé," Seraphina said, her voice like a cracking whip. "And he isn't a toy for you to play with, Isabella."
"Oh, I don't want to play," Isabella whispered, her eyes locked on Xavier's. She leaned in, her voice loud enough for the surrounding tables to hear. "I just wonder what a man like him sees in an 'Ice Queen.' You must be very bored, Xavier. If you ever want a drink with someone who actually has a pulse... here is my card."
She slid a gold-embossed card into Xavier's chest pocket, her fingers lingering just a second too long.
Xavier looked at Seraphina. Her jaw was clamped shut, her eyes burning with a fire he hadn't seen before. It wasn't just corporate anger—it looked like genuine, hot-blooded jealousy.
"We're leaving," Seraphina snapped, pulling Xavier away so hard he nearly stumbled.
"We haven't even had the main course," Xavier noted, a small, teasing smirk forming on his face. He liked seeing her lose her cool. It made her human.
"I said we are leaving," she hissed as they reached the elevator. Once the doors closed and they were alone, she turned on him, her face flushed with rage. "Give me the card, Xavier. Now."
Xavier pulled the gold card from his pocket, holding it just out of her reach. "Why? Are you jealous, Seraphina? I thought I was just a 'signature on a piece of paper.' A tool. Since when does a tool care about other people's business cards?"
Seraphina stepped into his space, her chest heaving. For a second, Xavier thought she might slap him. Instead, she grabbed the front of his suit and pulled him down until their faces were inches apart.
"You are my husband," she whispered, her voice trembling with a strange intensity. "The world belongs to the Vanes, and right now, you belong to me. Don't you ever forget who bought you."
She snatched the card from his hand and tore it into a dozen pieces, the gold glitter falling like snow on the elevator floor. As the doors opened to the lobby, she smoothed her hair and stepped out, the Ice Queen once again. But Xavier stayed behind for a second, a realization hitting him.
She wasn't just protecting a secret in the basement. She was starting to protect him.