The ballroom was bathed in soft, golden light, the air humming with the soft murmur of polite conversation, the clink of glasses, and the low sound of a string quartet playing in the corner. Grace stepped into the lavishly decorated space, her heels clicking on the marble floor, the emerald gown she wore sweeping the ground in elegant waves. She'd been to hundreds of galas like this before, but tonight felt different. Everything about it felt like a trap.
Her father's voice rang out across the room, calling out to the well-heeled donors and politicians.Grace smiled politely as she greeted a few acquaintances, but her mind was elsewhere. She didn't want to be here, didn't want to play the part of the governor's dutiful daughter while the shadows of her fractured relationship with Liam loomed over her.
Just as she was heading for the bar, her assistant Maya came up to her with a look of subtle concern.
"Ms Cole , you're being seated at table three." She handed Grace an envelope with the seating arrangements. Grace glanced at it ,her eyes immediately locking onto the name next to hers.
'Liam Vale.'
Her stomach twisted.
"Are you serious?" Grace muttered, trying to keep her composure. "My father knows we're not on speaking terms. He couldn't have made it more obvious if he tried."
Maya just shrugged, offering a sympathetic smile. "It's the only available seat. You're the guest of honor tonight. Try to enjoy yourself, alright?"
"Right," Grace said through gritted teeth.
As if summoned by fate, her gaze landed on Liam across the room. He was standing near the entrance, talking to a group of influential donors, his suit impeccably tailored, his posture commanding. When his eyes met hers, a flicker of recognition passed between them a silent acknowledgment that neither of them had moved on from the tension that was still hanging thick in the air.
Grace took a deep breath and made her way to the table, her heart racing in her chest. She knew the night was going to be uncomfortable. She just didn't expect how quickly things would escalate.
…..
When she sat down at the table, Liam was already there, his jaw clenched, his expression unreadable. He didn't even look at her as she slid into the chair next to him. Instead, he stared straight ahead, his fingers tapping lightly against the stem of his wine glass.
The waiter came around to pour wine, but neither of them said anything. The tension between them was palpable, thick enough to suffocate the air around them.
Finally, Grace couldn't take it anymore. She leaned in, her voice low and icy. "This is ridiculous."
Liam didn't even flinch. He kept his eyes trained on his glass. "I didn't ask for this either."
"No," Grace snapped, her voice rising just slightly. "But you knew it was coming. You knew my father was going to set us up like this, and yet you didn't say a word to me. It's almost like you want to rub it in my face."
Liam finally turned to look at her, his gray eyes sharp. "Rub it in your face? You're the one who cut me off, Grace . You're the one who made it clear we're not allowed to talk about this. So don't blame me for the setup your father engineered."
Grace's fingers tightened around her glass, her anger bubbling to the surface. "Oh, so now it's my fault? You've got a lot of nerve.."
His lips tightened, his eyes narrowing "I didn't say that, but you're the one who's been avoiding me for weeks. And now you're acting like I'm the one who betrayed you. You really think I wanted this mess? This whole damn circus?"
She stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor, drawing a few curious glances from the nearby tables. "I didn't want this either, Liam . I didn't want you to pull away from me when I needed you most. You think I've been hiding from you because of some article? No. It's because you couldn't even be honest with me, even when it mattered."
"Don't pretend like it's all my fault." His voice was low, but it cut through her. "You think I don't see what you're doing? You've been shutting me out, pulling away, ever since that damn article. And you've let your father do whatever he wants. I don't think you've been honest with yourself either."
There was a beat of silence. Grace was seething, but she could feel the heat between them, the raw energy of unresolved feelings crashing against the walls they'd built around each other.
Before she could respond, the string quartet's music shifted into a slow waltz. Grace's eyes briefly flicked to the dance floor. It felt like an invitation, like the universe was daring them to let go of their anger and just... be.
Liam stood abruptly, surprising her. "Dance with me."
Grace opened her mouth to refuse, but the words died on her tongue. She saw the vulnerability in his eyes, the same vulnerability she had felt, the same desperation for something,anything,that would make this tension dissolve.
For a moment, she hesitated, her breath catching in her throat. But then, in a decision that felt like both instinct and defiance, she stood, accepting his outstretched hand.
They walked toward the dance floor, the crowd parting around them. As they came together, Grace could feel the heat of his body close to hers. His hand at the small of her back was steady, warm, but there was an undeniable tension in the way they moved together ,so close and yet still so far apart emotionally.
Their eyes met, the weight of everything unsaid between them hanging heavy. Her heart was racing in a way that had nothing to do with the dance.
"Are we really doing this?" Grace whispered, her breath hitching.
Liam's lips curled into something that was almost a smile, but there was pain in his gaze. "We're doing it"
They moved around the floor, their bodies in sync despite the storm of emotions that churned between them. There was no more arguing, no more words. Just the silent conversation of two people who had once been so sure of each other, now trying to navigate the wreckage of what had been.
And, for the first time in weeks, they were
close , not just physically, but emotionally, the distance between them shrinking with every turn, every step.
But even as they danced, neither of them could escape the truth; despite their anger, despite everything that had happened, they were still in love. And that love, like the music around them, was impossible to ignore.