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“Billie Calloway,” she replies.
I give her a laugh. “Oh, I’m not looking for her. Have either of you seen my brother Nick?”
“Yes. He was at the bar,” Phillip tells me, pointing at the glowing area with a line wrapped around it.
The lights are low, the ambiance pure perfection. Liquor flows endlessly because when inhibitions are lowered, wallets are opened.
“Thanks. Hope to see you around,” I say, excusing myself.
As I find my way through the crowd, sipping my champagne, I run into Weston.
“Asher! Happy you could make it,” he says, offering me a firm handshake.
Our eyes meet, and for a moment, it feels like he’s sorting through my thoughts, trying to read my mind.
“I’m very honored to be here. This year’s turnout is incredible,” I say.
“The best we’ve ever had,” he admits with pride. This event is his baby—something he’s spearheaded for the past twenty years. Weston Calloway knows how to throw a party and tends to be the life of it. “I wanted to ask why?—”
Heads turn, and that’s when I see her, looking gorgeous as ever in a strapless black dress that splits at her breasts. It’s outlined in diamonds that sparkle under the low lights.
Billie is so beautiful; she takes my fucking breath away.
“She made it,” Weston says.
Across the room, Harper bursts into applause, and everyone follows her lead. Billie licks her dark red lips and glances over at Louis. He spins her around and then gently kisses her. The eventphotographers capture the moment as her arms wrap around his neck.
Make the crowd believe an engagement is on the horizon.
She smiles up at him, and my jaw tightens.
Macro, not micro. Big picture.
While they’re acting, my jealousy festers. I remind myself that this is necessary and part of the plan.
They pull away from one another, and Weston turns to me. He studies me intently, like he’s searching for a reaction. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to.
“Good seeing you,” I tell him with a grin, giving him a friendly pat on the back before turning in the opposite direction.
Brody stares at me with his brow lifted.
Fuck.There are too many people here who know things they shouldn’t, which is dangerous for my mission.
I find Nick drinking with Patterson at a circular high-top table. A candle flickers in the middle as they laugh about something.
“Hey, man. Didn’t think I’d see you again so soon,” I say, offering him a firm handshake.
He chuckles. “When a Calloway sends you an invite to anything, you go. Always. It’s the rule.”
“Is it? Hmm. Never heard that one before,” I reply, finishing my current glass of champagne and grabbing another. I take a sip, letting the bubbles tickle my senses.
“It’s unspoken,” he says.
Nick watches me, searching for chinks in my armor. He won’t find any. No one will.
“I think I’d like to meet with Josh on Monday morning in my office,” I say, trying to sound casual.
He gives me a look like I’ve lost my mind.