Page 36 of Shattered Crown
By eleven o'clock, the crowd had thinned. The auction had closed, the string quartet had packed up, and volunteers were beginning the quiet work of clearing tables and boxing up leftover flowers.
Evie was yawning, her earlier energy fading into exhaustion. "We should go," I said, touching her shoulder.
"Five more minutes?"
"Now, Evie."
She sighed but didn't argue. We made our way toward the exit, stopping occasionally for final goodbyes. I kept my eyes moving, searching the thinning crowd.
There.
Aria stood near the side door, talking to Nalani. Her shoes were off, dangling from one hand, and she'd pulled a few pins from her hair, letting dark curls escape around her face. She looked tired, human and achingly beautiful in a way that had nothing to do with the dress or the makeup or the careful styling.
I changed direction.
"Dad, where are you…" Evie started, but I was already walking.
Aria saw me coming. I watched her spine straighten, watched her chin lift, watched her prepare for battle. Nalani glanced between us, her eyebrows rising, and murmured something before slipping away.
Smart woman.
"Miss Kealoha." I stopped in front of her, close enough to see the gold flecks in her dark eyes. "I wanted to thank you for a lovely evening."
“What lovely evening?” Her eyes were shooting daggers at me. “You managed to singlehandedly ruin it, so thank you very much for that.”
"Really?” I placed a thoughtful hand underneath my chin. “I mean… A hundred thousand dollars to your foundation seems quite lovely to me. Generous, even."
"You know exactly what you did." She stepped closer, jabbing a finger toward my chest. "You turned my auction into some kind of... of power play. Everyone that was in this room probably thinks…"
"Thinks what? That I wanted to have dinner with you badly enough to pay for the privilege?" I tilted my head. "Isn't that the point of a date auction?"
"The point is to raise money, not to…" She stopped herself. Took a deep breath. "I'm not going on a date with you."
"You don't have a choice."
"Excuse me?"
"You put yourself in the auction. I won the bid. That's how auctions work." I shrugged. "Unless you're planning to renege on your own foundation's commitment? That would be unfortunate. All those mobile clinics you're hoping to fund..."
Her eyes flashed. "I'll write you a check. Right now. One hundred thousand dollars. You'll get your money back and we can pretend this never happened."
"I don't want my money back."
"Sebastian…"
"I want my date." I held her gaze. "You promised a private dinner at the restaurant of my choice, and a splendid evening with your charming self. I intend to collect."
"This isinsane." She shook her head, dark curls swaying. "We can't stand each other. Why would you want to spend an entire evening in my company?"
I shrugged. I’d actually just intended to get a rise out of her. I hadn’t been sure what I would’ve done after. But now, I was enjoying myself way too much to let it go. Who knows? Maybe this dinner might actually be fun.
“Maybe I just enjoy watching you squirm."
Aria’s eyes twitched. I knew I’d effectively gotten under her skin. Pricked her cells even. "You're impossible."
"I've been told." I stepped back, giving her space to breathe. "I'll have my assistant contact you to arrange the details. I'm thinking somewhere quiet. Intimate." I paused, let the hidden meaning sink in. "Somewhere we can really talk."
"I hate you."
