The banquet didn't end after dinner. The guests moved to the outdoor garden to start the ball.
Mr. and Mrs. Kinney opened the ball with the first dance. Aria Sterling had no interest in dancing. She was utterly exhausted from the previous night, had spent all day shopping, and was still wearing high heels. All she wanted was to go back to the hotel and sleep for a week.
But just because she didn't want to dance didn't mean no one asked her.
Even though she stayed by Damian Xavier's side, a few men, brave enough to risk it, still came over with fawning smiles to ask her for a dance.
Of course, she wouldn't accept. But she couldn't very well embarrass Ivan Hawthorne by directly rejecting his guests, so she sat off to the side, pretending to feel unwell.
However, she never expected Damian Xavier to grab her hand against her will and pull her onto the dance floor.
