Chapter 168

• Author's POV
• As the evening drew on, the ballroom seemed to blur into a haze of glittering chandeliers, murmured conversations, and glasses perpetually half-full. But even surrounded by decadence and admiration, Eden felt the press of something heavy in the back of his mind.
• He and Kate had just returned to their private table, an opulent corner booth cordoned off with gold tassels, affording them both visibility and distance. Kate leaned back, crossing her legs with casual elegance, swirling her wine with a quiet grace that masked the sharp mind behind her dark eyes.