Chapter 39 He Finally Came
Briar's POV
I caught Daisy's wrist instinctively, twisting it sideways. The red wine splashed back onto her pale gold dress, dark stains spreading like wounds across the silk.
She gasped, staring at the ruined fabric. But then her eyes locked on something behind me and she froze, color draining from her face.
The wine cellar went silent.
I didn't need to turn to know who'd arrived—the shift in energy was unmistakable. But I turned anyway, following her stare to the entrance.
JJulian entered with James behind him, the crowd parting instantly. His charcoal suit was immaculate, expression ice-cold as he swept the room with a single glance—passing over Daisy and me without pause, as if we were furniture.
I watched Daisy's face change as she calculated: if Julian didn't acknowledge me, I couldn't be important to him. Her spine straightened, embarrassment hardening into something meaner. She reached for another champagne flute, intent clear.
James appeared out of nowhere, his hand closing around Daisy's wrist before she could lift the glass. "I don't think so."
Thomas materialized on her other side, his expression professionally blank as he gestured to two security guards stationed near the entrance. "Miss Jones, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"You can't—" Daisy tried to jerk her arm free from Kyle's grip, her voice rising sharply. "You have no right to throw me out! I was invited!"
"And now you're being uninvited." Thomas nodded to the security guards, who moved forward and took hold of Daisy's arms with practiced efficiency. She struggled against their grip, her heels scraping against the stone floor as they started walking her toward the exit.
"Let go of me! Do you know who my father is? You can't just—what gives you the right to—"
Her voice faded as they pulled her through the doorway and out of sight, leaving behind a ripple of whispered conversations and barely concealed interest. I stood there feeling oddly detached from the whole scene, like I was watching it happen to someone else.
James approached me with a slight bow, his expression apologetic. "Miss Vance, I sincerely apologize for the disturbance. If there's anything we can do to make you more comfortable—"
"It's fine," I said, cutting him off before he could finish. "Really. I'm fine."
He looked like he wanted to say more but Julian's voice cut across the cellar, low and carrying despite its quietness. "Briar. Come here."
I made my way through the clusters of guests to the long tasting table where Julian had taken a seat near the head, his posture relaxed but his eyes tracking my every movement. He gestured to the chair beside him with a slight tilt of his head, and I sat down because refusing would have caused exactly the kind of scene I was trying to avoid.
A server appeared immediately, reaching for our wine glasses, and Julian waved him off with a dismissive gesture. "Remove both."
The server nodded and retreated, taking our glasses with him, and I felt a spike of irritation cut through my careful composure. I turned to Julian, keeping my voice low. "Did you give me an award? Years ago, at a university entrepreneurship competition?"
He didn't look at me, his attention apparently focused on the wine list the sommelier had just presented. "Yes. I presented several awards that year."
"Why didn't you mention it?"
"You didn't ask." He made a selection from the list and handed it back to the sommelier, then finally turned to meet my eyes. "Does it matter?"
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Julian's POV
I signaled for the server to bring dessert.
The memory surfaced without permission, sharp and clear despite the years that had passed. The university auditorium with its rows of uncomfortable seats, the stage with its cheap podium and cheaper microphone, the parade of nervous students presenting their business plans with varying degrees of competence and preparation.
I'd been bored out of my mind until she walked onto that stage.
She'd worn her dark hair pulled back in a high ponytail that swung when she moved, and a simple navy suit that somehow made her look both professional and impossibly young. But it was her eyes that had caught me, the way they blazed with absolute confidence as she walked the judges through her team's supply chain platform, her hands moving as she talked, her whole body radiating the kind of certainty that couldn't be faked or taught.
She hadn't looked at me once during the entire presentation. Not when I'd asked questions, not when I'd presented her team with their award, not even when our hands had briefly touched as I'd handed over the certificate. Her attention had been somewhere else entirely, already moving on to the next challenge, the next goal, the next mountain to climb.
I'd wanted her then with an intensity that had surprised me, had spent the next several years watching her from a distance as she built her company and made her name in the industry. And now she was here, sitting beside me because I'd made sure she had no other choice, and that bright confidence I'd first seen on stage had been ground down into something wary and defensive.
I'd paid the price, but she was mine now. Cage the bird, and no one else could reach her.
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Briar's POV
Reginald arrived at the table looking pleased with himself, greeting the other guests with warm handshakes and easy conversation. I watched him scan the room and saw his smile falter slightly.
I found myself scanning the room too, my eyes moving across faces I barely recognized, looking for someone who wasn't there and trying to pretend I wasn't. The disappointment sat heavy in my chest, a hollow feeling that I couldn't quite shake.
Part of me had wanted him to come, had been looking forward to seeing him in this setting, but another part was almost relieved he'd stayed away. At least he wouldn't have to see me sitting here beside Julian like some kind of trained pet.
"Looking for someone?" Julian's voice was quiet but there was steel underneath it, a warning I recognized too well.
I jerked my attention back to the table, reaching for the dessert plate the server had just set down. "No."
He set down his knife and fork with deliberate precision, the soft clink of silver against porcelain somehow more threatening than if he'd slammed them down. "Is it Lucian?"
I kept my eyes on my plate, cutting into the chocolate torte with more focus than it required. "I don't know what you're talking about."
His voice had gone cold and flat when he spoke again. "Do you know why I came here tonight?"
I looked up at him and forced a smile. "Isn't it obvious? You missed me so much you had to fly all the way out here just to drag me back where you could keep an eye on me."
His lips curved slightly, a hint of something pleased flickering in his eyes. "A few days apart and your shamelessness has reached new heights."
"Well, you know what they say." I took a bite of torte, chewing slowly. "Practice makes perfect."
Reginald made his way to the head of the table with a bottle that looked older than both of us combined. "This is a 1947 Château d'Yquem. I've been saving it for a special occasion, and I think tonight qualifies."
The sommelier began pouring for the guests at the table, the golden liquid catching the light as it filled each glass. When he reached me I shook my head. "Just water, please."
A commotion near the entrance made several guests turn their heads, and Reginald's face lit up with genuine pleasure. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it after all."
I kept my eyes on my water glass, but I couldn't stop myself from glancing sideways, just a quick flicker of movement to see who had finally arrived.
Lucian stood in the doorway wearing dark slacks and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and even from across the room I could see the way every woman at the table immediately sat up straighter.
"Is that Lucian Kincaid?" someone whispered.
"Oh my god, he's even better looking in person."
"He looks so much more approachable than Alpha Julian, doesn't he? Like you could actually have a conversation with him."
Their voices blended together into background noise as I watched Lucian scan the room, his eyes moving across faces until they found mine. For a second our gazes locked and held, and I saw something in his expression that made my chest tighten.
Then he was moving, walking past all the empty seats scattered around the table and pulling out the chair directly to my left.