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I couldn’t help but stare, transfixed by their otherworldly beauty and the aura of power that surrounded them. They were like Greek gods among mere mortal, the kind of men that girls like me could only admire from afar, never daring to dream of getting close to.
I watched as they moved through the crowd, their every step exuding confidence and authority. Women flocked to them, vying for their attention, but the brothers remained aloof.
Whispers swirled around me, snippets of conversations about the Davenport empire and the brothers’ quest for an omega bride, a generational tradition they were bound to uphold as billionaire titans. Every eligible omega in attendance held their breath, hoping to catch their eye.
Well, almost every eligible omega.
I knew then what it was to feel insignificant—a moth drawn to flames that could obliterate it without a thought. The power behind their names was palpable, heirs to a fortune vast enough to shape economies, let alone lives.
I shrank back against the walls, content to admire them from this safe distance where dreams could not be scorched by reality. They were everything I wasn’t: powerful where I was powerless, desired where I was overlooked—an impossibility in human form.
To me, they were a distant dream, a fantasy to admire from afar. I knew I could never be worthy of their attention, let alone their affection. So I simply watched as Dominic, Xavier, and Lucian Davenport stole the show. Little did I know then how my life would become inexplicably entwined with theirs, and how the very fate I thought impossible would become my own.
When I had enough, tired of all this, I slipped away, my heart pounding with both exhilaration and trepidation. Meredith would be furious if she discovered my absence, but I couldn’t bear another moment of forced smiles and hollow pleasantries. The weight of expectations suffocated me, and I desperately needed to breathe.
Navigating the labyrinth of corridors, I followed the path of least resistance, my steps guided by an innate sense of escape. The mansion seemed to stretch endlessly, but I welcomed the solitude, the muffled sounds of revelry fading into blessed silence.
Finally, I emerged into the secluded garden, a verdant oasis untouched by the pomp and circumstance within. The night air caressed my skin, carrying the sweet fragrance of blooms that danced in the gentle breeze. Moonlight filtered through the canopy of trees, casting an ethereal glow upon the landscape, and twinkling lights along the winding path beckoned me further into this enchanted realm.
I followed the call, my feet carrying me toward a gurgling fountain, its waters spraying upward in a mesmerizing dance before cascading back into the basin below. Surrounding the fountain was a stone bench, and I sank onto it gratefully, relishing the cool surface against my flushed skin.
Here, amid nature’s embrace, I could finally be myself. I tilted my head back, drinking in the sight of the star-studded sky, and a soft hum escaped my lips, a melody as ancient as the celestial bodies that inspired it. My heart swelled with a sense of peace and belonging that had eluded me all night.
In this moment, I was no longer the adopted curiosity, paraded for the amusement of the elite. I was simply Asa, finding solace in the beauty that surrounded me, my spirit soothed by the gentle lullaby of the fountain and the fragrant caress of summer blooms.
I couldn’t resist the urge to let my soul breathe freely. Reaching into my clutch, I retrieved my phone, its screen a beacon in the night’s embrace. My fingers danced across it, finding the track Eli had crafted just for me, one that understood the language of my soul. As the music began to play, it wrapped around me like a lover’s caress, ethereal pop electronica that swelled with a life of its own. The lush synthesizers painted an ambient soundscape, each note cradling my voice as if they were old friends reunited.
I couldn’t resist. The hum rose from my chest, tentative at first, like the flutter of butterfly wings against a gentle breeze. My upper body found rhythm in the melody, swaying softly as if I were nothing more than a blade of grass in the wind. It was freedom in its purest form.
Gradually, my humming gave way to song, the lyrics spilling from my lips with an intimacy that felt almost sacred. The words were mine, spun from the deepest fibers of my being; haunting and yearning, they echoed with emotion and beauty.
“In the shadow of stars, we find our light,” I sang, my voice climbing, soaring high above the walls I’d built around myself.
My body followed suit, abandoning all inhibition. I danced, the fluid movements spoke of a spirit unbound; each step was a whisper of yearning, every gesture a stroke of defiance against the confines of expectation. Arms extended toward the heavens as if to draw down the very stars into my orbit.
The rhythm was sensual yet full of grace, a choreography born not of practice but passion. I twirled and arched, hips swaying in slow seduction to the beat that pulsed like a heart beneath skin. The world around me fell away until there was nothing but the music and the night and the essence of who I truly was.
When at last the final note lingered in the air before dissipating into silence, I stilled. A laugh bubbled up from within me—pure, unrestrained joy—and spilled into the night. In that moment, wrapped in solitude under a canopy of stars, I felt more alive than ever before.
In the throes of my freedom, a sharp crack pierced the air, a sound alien to the serenity of the garden, shattering the blissful spell. My laughter died, strangled by the sudden reminder of where I was, of who I was expected to be. The intrusive noise, likely a branch snapping underfoot, heralded an end to my brief escape.
Panic fluttered in my chest like a caged bird. Had someone seen me? Had they heard? The Whitmores would never forgive such a display of… of authenticity. They had crafted an image for me, one that didn’t include spontaneous dances in moonlit gardens. And Meredith? Her wrath would be severe if word of my antics reached her ears.
Heart pounding, I snatched up my phone with trembling fingers and muted the track that was on repeat, silencing the echoes of my soul’s song. With one last glance at the stars that had witnessed my true self, I turned and fled back toward the mansion, my feet barely touching the ground as I raced through the darkened paths.
As I neared the back entrance, I slowed to a more composed pace and began the process of transforming back into Asa Whitmore, the flawless ornament. I ran my fingers through my hair, taming stray locks back into their elaborate coif. My gown, thankfully still pristine despite my dance, flowed behind me with every step.
The heavy door creaked as I slipped through it and into the warmth of the mansion’s interior. The sounds of celebration grew louder as I approached the ballroom, and I carefully schooled my expression into one of polite indifference. But my heart still raced with the fear of being seen, of being judged for the simple crime of feeling free.
It didn’t take long for Meredith to find me. Her eyes narrowing with that familiar mix of irritation and calculation as she grabbed my arm in a viselike grip, her perfectly manicured nails digging into my skin.
“Where have you been?” she hissed, her tone laced with a mixture of anger and mortification that I might have embarrassed her.
I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to shrink away from her piercing gaze.
“I… I needed some air,” I stammered, the excuse sounding feeble even to my own ears.
Meredith’s lips pursed into a thin line of disapproval. “Well, you’ve had your little reprieve. There are people you need to meet.”
