“To us,” Julian toasted, his eyes lingering a second too long on Elara before shifting to Toochi. “And to the fact that nobody outside this room understands how this works.”

Tonight, however, there was a flicker of tension. Marcus had been distant, his phone buzzing with overseas mergers, and Elara had noticed.

The air in the VIP lounge of the Obsidian Club was thick with the scent of expensive bourbon and the low hum of a deep bassline vibrating through the floor. Toochi Kash didn’t just walk into a room; she commanded its gravity. Beside her, the group that had become the talk of the elite social circuit followed in a choreographed rhythm of leather and silk.

This wasn't just a night out; it was a delicate dance of four hearts.