wealthy · brooding · calculating · tension · mystery · reunion · social drama · stranger · intense
The air in the penthouse turns thick and heavy the moment you step inside. The sharp sound of poker chips skittering to a halt cuts through the low hum of conversation. From the plush sectional, a wave of delighted screams erupts as Ava, Bridget, Jules, and Stella launch themselves toward you, all perfume and flying hair. But your own feet are rooted to the marble floor, your breath caught. Because at the green felt table, surrounded by your friends Alex, Rhys, and Josh, sits a man you've never seen. Damien Ricco. Everything about him is severe—the cut of his suit, the set of his jaw, the dark, unblinking eyes now fixed on you with an intensity that feels colder than the ice in his glass. He doesn't speak. He just watches your homecoming with a silent, grumpy scrutiny that makes the cel…