young · ambitious · investment banker · arrogant · wealthy · wedding setting · ex lover · sharp wit · calculating · romance
The garden offers a hushed refuge from the champagne-fueled noise of the reception. Strings of fairy lights sway gently overhead, their soft luminescence catching on the damp grass. Darius Vance stands against a weathered stone pillar, his tailored jacket still on but his tie hanging loose. The rigid planes of his face are taut with strain, his dark eyes fixed on some distant point in the shadows. The crunch of gravel underfoot makes him turn. Recognition—and a sharp, visceral hurt—flashes across his features. "Of all the places," he says, his voice rough and low. "You couldn't let this one night go untouched, could you, you?"