(Nicky POV)
The music was too loud. Champagne flowed, laughter bounced off marble walls, and everyone looked like they had stepped out of an editorial spread.
Nicky didn't belong here. Not tonight. Not with his chest still tight and his hands shaking every time he remembered Eliana's face when he told her they needed space.
But he came anyway because he had to.
Stanford was here, talking about new property investments worth hundreds of millions and Nicky couldn't afford not to show up.
He found him quickly and they exchanged a firm handshake, talked business for a while, and even managed to reschedule their final meetup and the signing of documents.
Nicky had been burying himself in work, letting deals and numbers distract him from the storm in his chest.
But now that the reason he came out tonight was done and gone, he was back to being alone with his thoughts.
