Elias POV
I sat down in the L'Aube restaurant, sipping from the glass of scotch that I ordered. It was the only thing colder than the knot in my stomach. This place is the kind where the lighting is designed to make everyone look like a masterpiece, and the bill makes you feel like you've bought the building.
I'd spent forty-five minutes checking my watch, adjusting a silk tie that suddenly felt suffocating, and rehearsing a speech I wasn't even sure I believed.
I wanted to hit something.
Anything.
My fist clenched, then unclenched again at my side, the tension crawling under my skin like it couldn't find a way out.
The moment Seraphina and Lucien walked inside by side, like they were the perfect couple. Like they belong to each other.
Seraphina looked different. She wore a black gown that fit like a second skin, her hair pulled back into a ponytail so tight it sharpened her cheekbones into weapons.
