But here I was, surrounded by Dubois wealth and Dubois drama and Dubois everything, and it felt like... home.
Huh. So that's what that was.
Aria was pulled away by another arriving guest, and Xavier led me deeper into the crowd. We found Helena near thebar, elegant as always in cream silk. Eleanor held court at a nearby table, surrounded by well-wishers. Isabelle stood by the windows, stunning in emerald green, her attention seemingly fixed on something across the room.
I followed her gaze. A man sat at one of the far tables—tall, dark-haired, handsome in a sharp-jawed, brooding sort of way. He was watching Isabelle, too, his expression unreadable.
Interesting. But before I could think too much about it, we were swept up in greetings and hugs and the pleasant chaos of a celebration. We made our way to the family table—Helena, Eleanor, Isabelle, all of us together—and settled in for the evening.
I noticed Sebastian hovering near the stage, his posture tense despite the smile fixed on his face. He kept checking his pocket, adjusting his jacket, running a hand through his hair. I'd never seen him anything less than perfectly composed.
"Is Sebastian okay?" I murmured to Xavier.
Xavier followed my gaze and grinned. "He's fine. Just nervous."
"Nervous about what?"
"You'll see."
Before I could press him, movement caught my eye. The man from across the room had approached our table and was standing in front of Isabelle, his head tilted in what looked like a question.
"May I borrow you for a moment?" His voice caught me off guard—crisp, refined, unmistakably British. The kind of accent that belonged in period dramas and royal palaces.
"No." Isabelle's voice was firm. Final.
The man didn't flinch. "Issy..."
"I said no."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Come on, love. Just five minutes."
Something flickered across Isabelle's face. Irritation, yes, but something else too. Something that looked almost like longing was quickly suppressed.
She rose to her feet. "Five minutes."
They disappeared into the crowd together, and I filed the interaction away for later. There was clearly a story there—one I suspected would be worth hearing.
The clinking of glass against crystal drew everyone's attention to the stage.
Sebastian stood at the microphone, Aria watching him from the front of the crowd with a curious smile. He cleared his throat, and the room fell silent.
"Thank you all for being here tonight." His voice was steady, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. "This celebration marks the successful launch of our newest property, but it also marks something more personal for me."
He paused, his eyes finding Aria in the crowd.
"I want to thank everyone who contributed to making this possible. Our team, our partners, our family." A small smile crossed his face. "But most of all, I want to thank someone very special. Aria, could you join me up here?"
Aria's eyes widened. She glanced at our table, at Helena, who was already tearing up, at Eleanor, who wore a knowing smile. Then she blew Sebastian a kiss and made her way to the stage, the crowd parting for her.
Sebastian took her hand the moment she reached him, lacing their fingers together. He turned to face her fully, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer. More intimate, despite the microphone.
"I'm not a man of many words. You all know this." He lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "I stumble over what I'm trying to say, and sometimes I don't know the right thing at all."
He stepped closer to her, his free hand reaching into his pocket.
"But I always know what's right. And that's you."
He pulled out a small velvet box and lowered himself to one knee.
