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Carlie's cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson as swiftly reaches out and snatches it up before Vivian can. The way she holds it to her chest, it’s obvious she’s trying to conceal the details.
“Yeah,” she breathes, her voice slightly shaky, “it is.”
As her eyes briefly meet mine, a chill zings straight down my spine.
Carlie is planning on heading into the very heart of Nocté—the Upper Tier event I’ve been meticulously planning.
CHAPTER32
London
“Ican’t believe it’s already down to this,” Lily muses, setting out the remaining floral arrangement on the extended dining room table. She fusses with the tablecloth and turns to me with a smile that lights up the room.
“I can’t either. It feels like we’ve been planning this event for ages.” I take a deep breath and glance around.
The Upper Tier has been completely reimagined, thanks to Lily’s attention to detail.
As part of our rehearsal before the big night, the lights have been dimmed low and candles lit, flickering gently. Music filters into the space—the haunting sound of violins creates the perfect ambiance in the background.
Everywhere I look there are large plants and more flowers than I’ve ever seen in one place. The main flower, of course, islilies. All varieties, all sorts of colors.
It’s an oasis of colors, textures, and smells.
No matter where you go, the lingering scents follow, hanging heavy and sweet in the air. And it’s intoxicating.
Maybe I’m biased. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been working so closely with Lily for the past few days and things have beenso goodbetween us.
She moves from the flowers, fiddling for the hundredth time with the masks that are laid out with meticulous care for the guests to use tomorrow night.
I lean against the wall, watching her, and loving every minute of it.
Her attention, her focus, her drive.
How much she loves what she does—it shows in the way her eyes light up and that adorable smile creeps across her face.
Just like it is now.
Evidently satisfied, she turns to me.
“What are you grinning at?” she laughs, crinkling her nose at me.
My eyebrows flick upward and I shake my head. “I, uh—I was just thinking about what an incredible job you’ve done.”
She beams back at me, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight as she folds her hands in front of her. “You think they’ll all like it?”
I move toward her, reaching out a hand so I can take hers in mine. “If they don’t, it will have nothing to do with what you’ve created here.”
She narrows her eyes, then glances around again. “So, if you were participating in this event, would this put you in the mood?”
As if she realized what she said—or perhaps who she said it to—she bites down on her lip. Her brown eyes are wide but there’s something in them that stirs my body to awaken more than anything she’s decorated.
I huff a laugh, brushing my knuckles across her cheek. Slowly, I bend forward and whisper next to her ear, “I don’t think you want me to answer that.”
Lily inhales sharply, her chest heaving in the motion. “You know, I think maybe I do.”
I grin, taking a small step back, unable to stray too far, but needing to put a little space between us.
She seems momentarily taken aback by her own words, as the candor of the moment hangs between us. Then, with a small, challenging smile, she steps closer.
