Chapter 305

Madison

She turned back to Alexander. “We really must catch up properly, Alex. Away from all this noise and pretense.” She gestured vaguely at the gala around us. “Dinner next week? I’ll have my assistant call yours.” Her eyes flicked briefly to me, the implication clear.

Alexander took a sip of his scotch, neither accepting nor declining her invitation. “You’ve certainly made an impact tonight,” he said instead. “Gabriel seemed impressed with your expansion plans.”

“Business was always foreplay for you,” Katherine laughed, touching his arm again. “Some things truly never change.”

I sipped my drink, the gin burning pleasantly down my throat. The conversation continued around me, Katherine expertly weaving tales of her London successes while dropping intimate references to her past with Alexander. “Remember that little bistro in Paris?” and “You always did prefer the Amalfi Coast to the French Riviera.”

Each casual mention stung like a paper cut,