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“Yeah, it’s light work, though. All Brax does is work and go home. At max, she has deliveries, hits a few restaurants, or her mom comes through, but that’s about it.”

If anything, that made Aella even more motivated to reach out to her again.

“Tonight isn’t the right time to get into all that,” Smoke continued. “We’re supposed to be celebrating you and ole boy.”

That made her laugh. “He has a name, you know.”

“I’m aware. It’s just more fun not to use it.”

“The day you two become best friends is going to be one for the record books.”

Smoke snorted. “Don’t hold your breath. And speaking of the devil…”

He trailed off, and Aella looked up to see Cassius approaching. Stopping as he rounded the table, he extended his hand to Aella. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but can I borrow her for a second?”

“Y’all do y’alls thing. I’ll get at you later, Ella,” Smoke kissed her cheek before taking off.

“Tell that nigga that that’s the last of him putting his lips on you. Unless he wants them cut off,” Cassius hissed, helping Aella to her feet when she took his hand.

Giggling, she waved him off. “Please calm down. If he were my brother, would you have a problem? Which he basically is, by the way.”

“Basically doesn’t mean a damn thing to me. You must have forgotten what I told you the second time we ran into each other.”

“No, believe me. I remember your words very vividly.”

“Then act like it before you get someone killed,” Cassius fussed, reaching for his champagne glass. Wrapping his free arm around Aella’s waist, he pulled her closer and put his lips to her ear. “You remember what I told you about tonight, right?”

Swallowing hard, she nodded, remembering their conversation about him needing to disappear from the party for a while..

“You got me?” he asked, looking deeply into her eyes.

And right then, Aella knew there was nothing she wouldn’t do for the man standing next to her.

“Until the end of time,” she said breathlessly.

Cassius brushed his lips against hers before addressing the room. “May I have everyone’s attention, please?”

The room went silent almost immediately as all eyes turned to them.

“I just wanted to thank everyone for joining us tonight on such short notice to celebrate Elle and me. We appreciate it more than you know. The idea of spending the rest of your life with someone can be terrifying, but only when that someone is the wrong one,” Cassius pulled her as close as possible, gazing at her. “When you have the person meant for you at your side, there’s nothing you can’t do. They challenge you, strengthen you, and help open your mind to possibilities you never dreamed of. The person meant for you is your security; your entire world could be falling apart, but knowing they’re there for you at the end helps you believe it’ll all work out—even when you have no immediate solutions. Aella is all of that for me, as well as so much more. I’m lucky that I was blessed enough to cross paths with her, and make no mistake about it,” he finally tore his eyes away from her, turning them to the crowd, “I’m willing to protect that blessing and everything that comes with it until my dying breath.”

There was nothing subtle about his threat. Cassius was not only publicly acknowledging their engagement but the connection between their families. It was a reminder that she was merely a pawn. The warmth that Aella felt at the beginning of his speech suddenly turned cold, as if she’d been doused with a bucket of ice-cold water.

None of this was about them. It was business as usual. Elio’s words echoed in her head, drowning out the remainder of Cassius’s speech. Forcing a smile, she remained in character, somehow keeping it together until he was finished.

“Excuse me,” she murmured, extracting herself from his hold after swallowing a sip of her champagne.

“What’s wrong?”

Aella avoided eye contact, busying herself with retrieving her purse and phone. “Nothing. Going to the bathroom.”

Thankfully, Cassius didn’t press her, allowing for an easy escape—or what she thought was easy. Aella had barely been gone for three minutes, which she knew because she’d been carefully watching the time on her phone, when there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll be out in a second.”

“It’s just me, Elle,” Cassius’ voice came from the other side. “You a’ight?”

She cleared her throat in an attempt to keep it emotion-free. “I’m fine.”