Page 34 of No Longer Mine

But tonight was different because he was about to be sworn into office.

The newest and youngest councilman of New York City.

Even though Dimitri didn’t know who I was didn’t mean that I didn’t belong here. After all, I had played my cards right to have just as much, if not more, money than the rest of the people at this event.

I was new money. Very new money. Until about five years ago, I gave away everything I took. There was no point in keeping it when others needed it more than I did. But getting into the elite houses was getting harder and harder as technology continued to advance. My point was only proven by how Dimitri Cristof caught me. Oliver said I was getting sloppy. He didn’t want me anywhere near this event. But he wasn’t my father, and he would never quit working with me—even if he did threaten it a whole lot. He paced my lavish living room while Cleo helped me get ready. My hands trembled and my body shook as I watched the time pass on my phone. I would have never been able to get ready on my own.

Tonight wasn’t all about Dimitri, though; it was about me, too. It was about getting back in the game. I needed to prove to myself that I still had it. That I could still steal without getting caught. I needed to prove to myself that I still had some kind of fight left in me because after lying low all of these months, it did something bad to my confidence. I felt like a shell of a person.

The man on my arm was my next mark. I didn’t usually sleep with my targets—I kept things clean, professional. But Gavin Crenshaw was dangerously attractive, the kind of rich and well-mannered that screamed trust fund, the kind of man who’d never had to earn a damn thing in his life.

The kind of distraction that might finally get Dimitri Cristof out of my system.

I ignored Gavin’s DMs for weeks—until he mentioned this event. Until he invited me as his date. How could I possibly say no? He was trying to impress me, oblivious to the fact that I’d forget him the moment I laid eyes on the newest councilman.But I told myself otherwise. I fed myself lies all the way to the event.

The room buzzed with power—politicians, media, elite socialites, all sipping champagne and whispering about the man of the hour. Gavin leaned in, his hand resting at the small of my back. His brown eyes were warm, a reminder of why I never got close to my marks. It would make stealing from him harder. But not impossible. I could do it. I needed to do it—if only to feel like myself again.

“You look good enough to eat,” he murmured, scanning the room.

Nothing.

I leaned in, playing coy. “On the first date? What kind of girl do you take me for?”

A slow smirk curled his lips. “You seem like one of the quiet ones—freaky when the lights go off.”

I arched a brow, silent.

He chuckled against my neck, the scent of whiskey rolling off his breath. I fought not to grimace. The cheapness of it all settled over me, making this job feel less like a game and more like a mistake. If I was going to do this, it had to be classy, a fantasy. Not... whatever this was.

“That’s all I get?” His glassy gaze flicked to mine, and I knew then—he was going to get wasted. Sloppy. Maybe even useless. And I wasn’t about to get into bed with a man who wouldn’t be able to perform. This was already unraveling, already falling beneath my standards. I needed a distraction.

“How about you get me a drink?”

He straightened, eager to please, and headed to the bar. I didn’t watch him go.

Because the room had gone still.

Dimitri Cristof had arrived.

Chapter Eighteen

Dimitri

The applausestill rang in my ears as I stepped off the podium, flashes from the press burning against my vision like an afterimage.

They cheered. They clapped. They smiled.

I shook hands with people I didn’t respect. I accepted congratulations from men who would sell their own mothers for a seat at the table. I let them take their pictures, slap my back, and pretend like they’d supported me all along.

It was all bullshit but I played along. I was one of them now. At least, that’s what they thought.

“Councilman Cristof,” a reporter called, stepping forward with a microphone. “How does it feel, officially taking your seat?”

I offered a small smirk, adjusting the cufflinks of my suit before answering.

“It feels like the start of something great,” I said smoothly. “A new era for this city.”

A new era, indeed.