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COLE/ TORI
COLE
I enteredthe hotel ballroom with Tori by my side, my hand resting on the small of her back.
She looked stunning in her sleek black dress, so gorgeous, I wanted to have her all to myself.
But as much as I wanted to focus on her, on us, I also needed to play my role and do my job.
This wasn’t just another business event. It was a battlefield where alliances were forged and broken over a glass of champagne.
Normally I was in my element in these kinds of events, but tonight, more than usual, I was on edge.
“Tori, you okay?” I murmured, leaning closer to her ear.
She glanced up at me with a soft smile, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—nerves, maybe.
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice steady but not entirely convincing.
I nodded, letting it slide for now. Whatever it was, I’d get it out of her later.
For now, I had to make an appearance and deal with the usual parade of handshakes and forced conversations.
We made our way through the crowd, stopping occasionally to exchange pleasantries with acquaintances and potential business partners.
Tori was charming as ever, her presence a quiet strength beside me. But then, as we turned a corner, I saw him.
Marcus.
He stood in a small cluster of people, his posture casual but calculated, like he was the center of gravity holding them in orbit.
And, to my immediate irritation, one of the people in his circle was Richard Graham—a key investor in one of my upcoming ventures.
My jaw clenched as cold anger coursed through me. Of all the places for him to show up, he’d chosen this one.
Tori stiffened beside me, her hand tightening slightly on my arm. She’d seen him too.
“Cole,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“I see him,” I said, my tone low and controlled.
She took a step back, her confidence wavering for the first time that evening. I turned to her, catching the unease in her eyes.
“You don’t have to worry. He won’t get anywhere near you,” I told her firmly.
But as I turned back to Marcus, he glanced up—and his gaze landed directly on us.
His expression shifted, a slow smirk spreading across his face. It wasn’t the friendly kind.
It was the kind meant to rattle, to remind us of the control he thought he still had.
“I’m going to handle this,” I said firmly to Tori. “Stay here.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but I was already moving toward Marcus, my steps measured but deliberate.
He saw me coming and casually excused himself from the group, meeting me halfway with a practiced air of nonchalance.
“Cole Valen,” he said smoothly in his rented suit. “What a surprise.”