Eileen’s POV

The sea faded behind us as the yacht cut back toward the city.

By the time we reached New York, the sky had already turned a pale morning gray, the skyline rising in the distance like something distant yet familiar.

I stood quietly beside Adrian on the deck as we approached the harbor.

Neither of us spoke.

But the silence between us had changed.

It was no longer distant.No longer restrained.

It was… steady.Certain.

Adrian glanced at me briefly, then said, “We’re not going to your place.”

I turned slightly. “Where, then?”

“My house.”

A pause.

“The Vances family mansion.”

I understood immediately.

He wasn’t asking.He was making...