The ballroom slowly shifted into a different kind of excitement.
Guests who had been scattered across the room began drifting toward the stage at the center. Waiters and catering staff moved carefully between them, collecting empty glasses and preparing for the next part of the evening.
Damian noticed the change immediately.
Events like this always followed a schedule.
Dinner.
Speeches.
Announcements.
He had worked enough catering jobs to recognize the rhythm.
Still, he kept his focus on the tray in his hands.
Serve drinks.
Stay quiet.
Avoid certain people.
Especially one particular alpha.
He hadn't seen Kendrick Walker again since their strange encounter earlier, but the memory of it still lingered in the back of his mind.
The way Kendrick had looked at him.
Not with the usual dismissive glance powerful people gave to staff.
No.
That gaze had been sharper.
Focused.
Like Kendrick had discovered something interesting.
And that thought alone made Damian uncomfortable.
Stop thinking about it.
He turned slightly and offered a champagne glass to a passing guest.
The woman accepted it without looking at him.
Perfect.
That was how these things were supposed to work.
Invisible staff.
Important guests.
Two completely separate worlds.
Across the ballroom, a voice suddenly rose above the soft music.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention."
The speaker stood near the stage.
An older man in an expensive suit.
Damian recognized him from earlier.
Richard Walker.
Kendrick's father.
Even from across the room, the man carried the commanding presence of a dominant alpha.
Conversations slowly quieted.
Guests turned toward the stage.
Cameras from the press section lifted again, flashes already beginning to spark through the air.
Damian stepped slightly behind one of the tall marble columns near the back of the hall.
From there, he could still see everything.
But fewer people would notice him.
Richard Walker smiled at the crowd.
"Thank you all for joining us tonight."
His voice carried easily across the room.
"This evening is very important to both the Walker and Peters families."
Damian felt a small flicker of curiosity despite himself.
He already knew what the announcement would be.
Everyone did.
But it was hard not to watch when powerful people revealed their plans to the world.
Richard gestured toward the side of the stage.
"I would like to invite my son, Kendrick Walker, to join me."
Applause rippled through the ballroom.
Damian's eyes lifted instinctively.
Kendrick stepped forward from the crowd.
Even surrounded by some of the most powerful people in the city, he stood out effortlessly.
Tall.
Calm.
Confident.
The polished black suit he wore fit him perfectly, and his expression remained composed as he joined his father on stage.
Damian noticed something strange.
Kendrick's gaze moved across the crowd slowly.
Scanning.
Searching.
For a brief moment, Damian wondered—
Is he looking for someone?
The thought made his stomach tighten.
But Kendrick's attention moved on.
Alehandra Peters stepped onto the stage next.
The crowd responded with another wave of applause.
She looked stunning beneath the bright lights, her deep red dress catching every flash from the cameras.
Graceful.
Elegant.
Perfect.
The two of them stood side by side.
A powerful alpha pair.
The image alone was enough to make headlines.
Richard Walker continued speaking.
"For generations, our families have shared a vision for this city's future."
Damian listened with half an ear while collecting empty glasses from a nearby table.
"Tonight, we celebrate the beginning of a new chapter."
The older alpha turned toward Kendrick and Alehandra.
"A partnership that will strengthen that vision for many years to come."
Another ripple of applause filled the room.
Damian glanced up again.
And that was when it happened.
Kendrick's gaze swept across the crowd once more.
And landed directly on him.
The moment froze.
Even from across the ballroom, Damian felt it.
That sharp, focused attention locking onto him again.
Seriously?
He quickly looked away.
Pretending to adjust the glasses on his tray.
Don't stare.
Don't react.
Still, he could feel it.
The weight of that gaze.
Why was Kendrick Walker paying attention to him at all?
It didn't make sense.
Damian was just a catering worker.
An omega trying to stay invisible in a room full of powerful alphas.
Yet somehow…
Kendrick had noticed him twice now.
On stage, Alehandra stepped closer to the microphone.
Her voice was smooth and confident.
"Tonight is about more than two families coming together."
She glanced briefly at Kendrick.
"It's about building something stronger for the future."
Cameras flashed again.
Damian forced himself to focus on work.
But the uneasy feeling in his chest refused to fade.
Because every time he looked up…
Kendrick's attention seemed to drift back toward him.
Like a compass needle stubbornly pointing north.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
Richard Walker raised his hand.
"I am proud to announce the engagement of my son, Kendrick Walker…"
He paused for effect.
"…to Alehandra Peters."
The ballroom erupted.
Applause.
Cheers.
Camera flashes.
Guests congratulating each other like they had personally arranged the alliance.
On stage, Kendrick and Alehandra turned slightly toward each other.
Alehandra smiled beautifully.
Kendrick returned the gesture politely.
But something about the moment felt slightly off.
At least to Damian.
Maybe it was the way Kendrick's smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
Or maybe it was because Damian had seen the alpha's expression earlier when their eyes met.
Curious.
Focused.
Awake.
Very different from the calm mask he wore now.
Alehandra slipped her hand into Kendrick's.
The cameras loved that.
More flashes exploded across the room.
The perfect engagement photo.
Damian felt a strange twist in his chest.
Not jealousy.
Nothing like that.
Just… discomfort.
Because the alpha who had been staring at him earlier was now standing on stage beside his future mate.
A powerful alpha woman.
Exactly the kind of partner someone like Kendrick Walker was expected to have.
Damian shook the thought away.
Not your business.
Not your world.
He turned to leave the ballroom for a moment, heading toward the service hallway to drop off his tray.
Behind him, the celebration continued.
Guests gathered around the stage.
More congratulations.
More champagne.
More smiles.
But on stage, Kendrick Walker's attention wandered again.
The omega.
Damian.
He had disappeared.
Kendrick frowned slightly.
Strange.
The scent was still faintly in the air.
Somewhere nearby.
Alehandra noticed the shift immediately.
"You're distracted," she said quietly without looking at him.
Kendrick blinked.
"Am I?"
"Yes."
Her voice remained calm.
"You've been scanning the room for the past ten minutes."
Kendrick didn't answer right away.
Alehandra tilted her head slightly.
"Is there something I should know about?"
Kendrick's expression returned to its usual calm.
"No."
But the answer came just a little too quickly.
Alehandra smiled softly for the cameras again.
Yet inside, her thoughts were moving fast.
She knew Kendrick well.
Better than most people.
And she had never seen him behave like this at a formal event.
Something had caught his attention.
Something unusual.
Her eyes moved across the ballroom thoughtfully.
Interesting.
Meanwhile, down the service hallway—
Damian leaned against the wall for a moment.
The noise of the party sounded distant from here.
He let out a slow breath.
"That guy is trouble," he muttered.
Working the rest of the event suddenly felt much harder than it had earlier.
Because now he knew something for certain.
Kendrick Walker had noticed him.
And powerful people rarely forgot things that caught their interest.
Damian pushed himself away from the wall.
The shift wasn't over yet.
He still had hours to go.
So he picked up another tray.
Straightened his uniform.
And stepped back toward the ballroom.
Unaware that somewhere inside that crowded room—
The alpha heir of the city's most powerful family had already begun thinking about how to find him again.
And once Kendrick Walker decided he wanted something…
Very few things in the world could stop him.