CHAPTER FIVE:

The Walker family banquet is exactly the kind of event I suddenly hate now.

Expensive, elegant and Fake.

Crystal chandeliers glow warmly above the massive ballroom while wealthy guests dressed in designer clothes laugh and socialize like their lives are perfect.

I stand beside Ethan near the entrance wearing a long black dress that suddenly feels too tight against my skin.

His hand rests lightly against my lower back in a Possessive and perrformative way. Anyone looking at us would think we’re happily married and I hate it.

“Smile,” Ethan mutters under his breath.

I don’t even look at him.

“If you touch me again one more time , I’ll break your hand.”

His fingers flex slightly against my back before disappearing.

Good.

The marble floor beneath my heels becomes slippery as another couple brushes past me suddenly.

My ankle twists, a gasp nearly escapes me as my body pitches forward…..But strong arms catch me before I hit the ground.

Warm fingers clos firmly around my waist and everything stills when I look up and freeze.

Holyyyyyy fuck. It’s Dante Wolfe.

Ethan’s uncle.

Technically not related by blood, but close enough for the family title to stick.

Dante Wolfe was the kind of man people feared instinctively. Tall, devastatingly handsome, and always dressed in dark tailored suits that looked expensive enough to ruin lives, he carried himself with the cold confidence of someone who knew he was untouchabl.

His sharp jawline, piercing dark eyes, and calm expression made him look more dangerous than approachable….like a man who could destroy you without even raising his voice.

He rarely smiled, and when he did, it usually meant someone else was about to suffer.

In the business world, Dante was ruthless. Men twice his age lowered their voices around him. Competitors avoided crossing him. Employees respected him with the kind of fear that bordered on worship. Rumors followed him everywhere; that he never forgave betrayal, that he ruined people quietly , that he always got what he wanted in the end. And somehow, that only made him more attractive, Untouchable and dangerously powerful.

The man everyone whispers about when they think he can’t hear.

His dark eyes meet mine calmly as he steadies me effortlessly.

“You should be more careful, Mrs. Walker.”

His voice is low. The kind of voice that commands rooms without trying……and it’s freaking hotttttt.

Heat rushes embarrassingly through my body as I straighten quickly. “Thank you.”

But Dnate doesn’t let go immediately. His gaze lingers on my face for one strange second too long, almost like he’s studying me.

Then finally, he releases me slowly.

Ethan steps beside me instantly, his expression hardening. “Uncle.”

The tension between them is immediate and sharp enough to cut through the air.

Dante’s eyes shift lazily toward Ethan. “Nephew.”

Neither of them smile.

Interesting.

I’ve heard rumors about their rivalry for years, business disagreements, power struggles and coontrol issues.

But standing between them now feels like standing between two storms.

Dante ‘s gaze returns to me briefly before he says calmly, “Your wife almost fell.”

“I had it handled.”

A faint smirk touches Sebastian’s mouth.

“No,” he says softly. “You didn’t.”

Ethan’s jaw tightens immediately and suddenly I realize something terrifying.

Dante Wolfe enjoys provoking him.

The thought sends tension curling through my stomach.

Before Ethan can respond, another guest approaches Dante quickly, pulling him into conversation.

But just before he walks away completely….his eyes meet mine again.

Cold and u unreadable, yet somehow intense enough to make my heartbeat stumble.

What the hell was that?

———

Hours later, the banquet is in full swing.

People gather around tables while servers move gracefully through the ballroom carrying champagne and expensive wine. I stand quietly near the corner, exhausted already, pretending all night is draining. Especially when my husband spent most of the evening ignoring me anyway.

Honestly, thank God for that.

I’m looking at my husband talk to some other person about business I suspect. When his mom and other relatives approach me…..I’m immediately wary, we aren’t that close, we don’t even like ourselves that much has been made clear. So why are they around me?.

I know the reason soon enough when they start down talking me as usual.

I’m reaching for a glass of champagne when I hear Dante’s voice across the room.

Deep as fuck but also smooth, commanding immediate attention.

“I think,” he says calmly, “that intelligence is severely undervalued in this family.”

The room quiets slightly. Evenr Ethan looks over.

Dante stands near the center of the ballroom with effortless authority, one hand tucked into his pocket.

Dangerous man.

The kind who doesn’t need to raise his voice to dominate a room. His gaze drifts slowly across the guests before landing directly on me and my breath catches.

“Especially when it belongs to someone exceptional.”

Confused murmurs spread quietly through the crowd.

Ethan’s expression darkens instantly.

Dante continues calmly, “Mrs. Walker abandoned one of the most promising scientific research careers I’ve ever heard of.” His eyes never leave mine. “A waste, if you ask me.”

Shock ripples through me.

How the fuck does he know that? I barely tell anyone about my research background anymore.

The family certainly never cared enough to ask.

Around us, whispers begin immediately.

“Scientific research?”

“I had no idea.”

“She was a researcher?”

Ethan’s face becomes dangerously unreadable.

Because for the first time tonight…..Attention shifts away from him and nd onto me. And Ethan usually doesn’t like that, doesn’t want any one getting attention or anything but him. It’s always been about him him him nothing and no body else matters asides from him.

Dante lifts his champagne glass slightly in my direction.

“To brilliance,” he says softly.

The words shouldn’t affect me but they do.

Because after years of feeling invisible…..Someone finally sees me again.