Chapter 4 Cracks in the glass

The quartet played on, elegant bows gliding over strings, but Sophia barely heard them. Her heart was still racing from Adrian's words, her body thrumming with awareness she couldn't explain.

Maria chattered beside her, delighted by every detail of the gala, but Sophia's attention wandered, her eyes tracing the room's edges. Something wasn't right. She could feel it like a draft beneath a closed door.

The guards were restless. Their gazes darted more often, their stances sharper, their murmurs clipped. One by the staircase lifted his wrist to his mouth, speaking quickly into the cuff of his sleeve. Another shifted his jacket, revealing the hard edge of metal.

Her unease deepened. She wasn't imagining this. Something was building.

"Stop looking like you're waiting for lightning to strike," Maria whispered, elbowing her.

"I don't like it here," Sophia admitted under her breath.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Because a billionaire heir glanced at you? Please. You should be enjoying this. One night of pretending you belong."

Sophia shook her head. "It's not that. It's... the atmosphere. Doesn't it feel strange to you?"

Maria's smirk faltered, but only for a second. "It's just the Rom-" She cut herself off abruptly, eyes flicking to a man in a dark suit who had come too close.

The man smiled thinly. "Ladies." His voice was polite, but his gaze lingered too long on Sophia, sharp and assessing. "Enjoying yourselves?"

Maria plastered on a smile. "Of course. Thank you."

The man's lips curved, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Be careful where you wander. Not all corners of this house are safe."

Before Sophia could respond, another figure appeared-Adrian.

His arrival was silent, almost unnoticeable, until the air shifted again. The suited man straightened instantly, his confidence evaporating under Adrian's cold stare.

Adrian said nothing. He didn't have to. His presence alone was command enough. The man dipped his head respectfully and disappeared into the crowd.

Sophia's pulse hammered in her ears.

Adrian's gaze slid to her, lingering for a breath that felt far too long. "Some advice," he murmured, his voice a quiet rumble meant only for her. "When predators circle, don't look them in the eye."

Before she could reply, he turned and melted back into the throng, already swallowed by another knot of men.

Maria exhaled loudly, fanning herself with her hand. "Well, damn. Do you realize what just happened? Adrian Romano just rescued you from-"

"From what?" Sophia whispered, still shaken.

Maria hesitated, glancing around nervously. "From something you don't want to name."

Sophia's throat was dry. She looked down at her untouched champagne, watching the bubbles rise and burst against the rim of the glass. The room felt louder now-voices sharper, laughter forced, music straining to fill a silence no one acknowledged.

And then, faint but clear, she heard it: the echo of a door slamming somewhere above, followed by hurried footsteps.

No one else seemed to notice. But Sophia did.

The cracks in the glass were spreading.