“A-Adrian?”

The voice rang clear above the hum of the ballroom, freezing Adrian mid-step.

He turned sharply. Standing before him was a graceful woman in an elegant black gown, waves of hair spilling over her shoulders. Those eyes… eyes he had once known so well.

“Leviana…” Adrian’s breath caught in his throat.

Leviana smiled sweetly, but it was no mere polite smile. There was meaning in her gaze, as if time had never erased anything between them. She stepped closer, her hand brushing against Adrian’s arm as though they had never parted.

“I’m not mistaken, am I? You’re still the same… only more authoritative now,” she said in a teasing...