Vincent remained silent.
Logically, their words should have reassured him.
Instead, the uneasy feeling inside him only grew stronger.
Almost as if to prove them wrong, movement across the ballroom suddenly caught his attention.
Vincent's gaze instinctively followed.
He watched as Cassian rested a hand against the small of Juliet's back and gently guided her through the crowd. The guests instinctively stepped aside to make way for them, their eyes following the couple.
Cassian eventually stopped in front of an elegant middle-aged couple standing near the front of the ballroom.
Vincent immediately recognized them.
Casper Han.
Eloise Han.
Cassian's parents.
His body instantly stiffened.
For a moment, he didn’t even blink. The noise of the ballroom—soft laughter, clinking glasses, the distant hum of conversation—seemed to dull around him as his attention locked onto one point, one movement, one figure he couldn’t ignore.
***
Cassian’s large hand rested possessively against the small of Juliet’s back as he guided her effortlessly through the crowdedauction hall, occasionally lowering his head to murmur the names and backgrounds of important guests into her ear before introducing her.
The intimate gesture didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room.
Neither did the way Cassian would subtly draw her closer whenever another man lingered beside her for too long.
Or the way his hand would slide from her back to her waist, his fingers spreading possessively over her side.
The powerful billionaire looked every bit the protective, dominant man tonight.
Tall and broad-shouldered in his charcoal-grey suit, Cassian commanded attention wherever he went. His sharp features remained calm and unreadable, yet there was something intimidating about the way he carried himself. He barely needed to speak for people to instinctively make way for him.
And yet, every time he looked at Juliet, that cold, commanding aura softened almost imperceptibly.
As they finished speaking with another group of business executives, Cassian's hand tightened gently around Juliet's waist.
"Come with me," he said in a low voice.
Juliet looked up at him curiously.
"Where?"
Cassian merely looked ahead.
"To meet my parents."
Juliet almost stumbled.
"What? Already?"
She turned to stare at him, blue eyes widening in alarm.
