Page 6 of Drowning in Darkness

“I’m here to help the Aldridges.”

“Ah, that makes sense. I can’t see you throwing ridiculous money away for a week in the Alps.”

I wouldn’t say no. I love the snow. There’s something probing in his words, like he’s trying to figure out where I fit in the evening’s hierarchy. Good luck, because not even I know my place in this world. I’ve got that to figure out. “The point isn’t the prize; it’s the donation. And that makes the money warranted, not ridiculous.”

“Fair point,” he mutters as he angles his body toward me and tilts his head. “You’ve not shared your name.”

“Stephanie.”

“Nice to meet you, Stephanie,” he says, offering me his hand. I stare at it as my chest tightens. Chatting with a stranger is one thing; touch is another. Baby steps. My mind spins with how to extract myself from this situation.

“Stephanie?” Fox calls from the door.

“Duty calls,” I murmur, hurrying inside.

Fox shoots a stare over my shoulder. “Are you okay?” he whispers as I reach him.

“Yes. I was just engaging in a bit of idle chitchat,” I explain.

“Stay where I can see you, or your brother will have my balls.”

A woman gasps from behind him and clutches her pearls in a comical, theatrical move that makes me giggle.

“I will,” I say as I snatch a canapé from a server passing with a silver platter. Yum. Honor sure knows how to pick good food. Indulgent, but not too pretentious. I saunter away from Fox, sticking to the edge of the grand ballroom to take in the parade of stunning gowns.

Someone bids on a famous interior decorator designing their bedroom. Only the rich. If you pay close enough attention, the people here still resemble school groupings. Maybe they aren’t signaling geeks and jocks through their clothing, but through the way they position themselves and respond to conversation.

A group of eight people surround the central cocktail table, four pairings each styled to perfection like dolls released from their boxes for the first time. They seem like friends on the surface until you catch their covetous glances at each other. The tallest guy with dark cropped hair lusts after the red-headed beauty who displays a dangerous amount of cleavage. She wants to be seen and desired.

Another grouping toward the front of the stage have their heads close together, genuine friends who raise their wooden paddles at practised intervals to signal a bid.

The opposite corner showcases the most aggressive bidders in the room, who are trying to outdo each other. My guess is new money and the need to throw their wealth in each other’s faces. Old money doesn’t do that. Their name is weight enough. I should know.

My thoughts touch on my estranged parents. If they were here, they’d be stationed toward the back with a few acquaintances while discussing how to engineer situations to their benefit, like an arranged marriage for their children. I shudder at the life mapped out for me before it all crashed down. I would give anything to make different choices that night, but if I focus on the silver lining, it would be the narrow escape I made not to repeat my parents’ cold, callous, calculated life. People don’t enter it soulless, but a loveless marriage will soon steal it from you.

My eyes meet icy-blue ones across the room. The stranger from outside tracks my path around the edge of the room. I blink, trying to break his attention. Unfazed, he lifts a champagne glass to his lips, but holds my attention captive.

I bump into a wall. No, not a wall—a hard chest.

“Steady,” Fox rumbles.

My shoulders relax. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“No shit. What’s caught your attention?”

I scan the room, taking a moment to find the stranger glaring at Fox with his lips pressed into a thin line. “No one. I was admiring the dresses.” It’s not a lie. I love the silk, lace, and ruffles on show. There aren’t many things I’ve missed about this world, but this is one of them.

“Honor is wrapping up. I don’t know about you, but I’m about done with pretentiousness for the month.”

“It’s a necessary evil,” I say. Fox understands; he was born into this life like myself. However, his grandmother never placed traditional values on him. He was always free to follow his heart, which led him straight to the woman I admire.

“True, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it.”

“Focus on all the good Honor does with their obscene wealth.”

“I like the way you think.”

Honor thanks everyone and encourages them to take their last sips of the free-flowing champagne before making their way home. She meets us at the edge of the room, wearing a huge smile as she links my arm. “We just raised more money in one night than in the entire year,” she whispers. “I’m so excited about what we can achieve. How was your night?”