Chapter 227

Emmeline returned to the gathering, her composure carefully maintained after stashing the roses beneath her bed, hiding the secret that no one could suspect and fixing her makeup.

Everyone accepted her excuse of feeling unwell without question, blissfully unaware of the forbidden tension crackling just beneath the surface.

She sank into the chair across from Yuna and Minnie, who were deep in conversation.

The night wore on, the three of them downing martinis as if the alcohol could wash away their troubles.

Yuna, clearly more affected by the drinks than anyone else, sighed heavily and let her head fall back against the chair. “It’s been so long since I let myself get drunk like this,” she muttered in a voice thick with the weight of unspoken emotions.

Emmeline glanced at her briefly but remained silent, her gaze flickering instead toward Zavian across the room. He was leaning against the bar, exuding the dark, magnetic energy that always seemed to draw