The peace lasted less than ten minutes.
Audrey had just taken a glass of water from a passing server when a familiar sharp voice cut through the ease she had just begun to feel.
"So, it's really you."
Audrey turned.
Damian's mother.
Nathan's elder sister.
The woman approached with elegance and pride sharpened into cruelty. Her jewels shimmered at her throat, but there was nothing beautiful about the look in her eyes.
Even when Audrey had been with Damian, the woman had never liked her. Audrey had never fully understood why. Maybe she had not been wealthy enough. Maybe she had not come from the right world. Maybe some women simply preferred hatred where kindness would have cost them nothing.
Whatever the reason, the dislike had always been there.
And clearly, it still was.
Audrey straightened. "Good evening."
Damian's mother glanced over her slowly, her expression making it plain that she was unimpressed, perhaps even offended, by Audrey's presence.
"I'm surprised you had the nerve to come here."
Audrey kept her grip on the glass steady. "Nathan invited me."
"Clearly," the woman said dryly. "That does not explain why you accepted."
Audrey felt the sting of the words, but her face did not change.
Before she could answer, Nathan appeared beside her as though he had sensed the tension from across the room.
"It explains enough," he said.
His voice was calm, but it carried warning.
His sister looked at him. "You brought her here? To Father's birthday?"
Nathan's expression remained unreadable. "Yes."
Her lips tightened. "Interesting choice."
"It wasn't presented for family debate."
A flicker of anger crossed her face.
Audrey could feel the air around them shifting as nearby guests pretended not to listen.
Nathan stepped slightly closer to Audrey, not enough to cause a scene, but enough to make his position clear.
"She is my guest," he said to his sister. "Treat her accordingly."
The older woman's eyes flashed, but she forced a brittle smile and walked away with all the grace of someone retreating from a battle she had not expected to lose.
Audrey released a breath she had not realized she was holding.
Nathan looked down at her. "Are you alright?"
"Yes."
"You don't have to endure anyone here."
Audrey lifted her chin slightly. "I can handle her."
Nathan studied her face, then nodded once. "I know."
As if the night had decided Audrey's composure should be tested from every angle, she saw them the moment she turned toward the far end of the hall.
Damian.
And beside him, Serene.
Serene wore a glamorous gown and the smug confidence of a woman enjoying borrowed importance. Damian looked polished and dangerous as always, his gaze too intense the second it found Audrey.
The room seemed to narrow.
Serene was the first to smile, though there was no kindness in it.
"Well," she said as they approached, "isn't this unexpected?"
Audrey set down her glass before it betrayed the tremor, she was determined not to show.
Nathan's body stiffened beside her.
Damian's gaze moved over Audrey slowly, lingering just enough to make the moment insulting. "You look different."
Nathan's eyes turned cold. "Choose your next words carefully."
Damian smirked faintly, but his attention remained on Audrey. "I was speaking to her."
"And I'm answering for her," Nathan replied.
Serene folded her arms. "Audrey must be enjoying this. First the boutique drama and now arriving here as if she belongs."
Audrey finally looked at her directly.
Her voice, when it came, was soft and controlled. "Belonging is not something loud people prove by talking too much."
Serene's smile faltered.
Damian's brows lifted slightly, perhaps surprised.
Audrey continued, still calm. "You wanted my reaction at the boutique. You didn't get it. Don't look for it here either."
Serene's eyes narrowed. "That confidence won't last."
"It has lasted longer than your loyalty ever did," Audrey said.
A flash of anger passed over Serene's face.
Nathan glanced at Audrey with the faintest trace of admiration.
Damian took a step forward, his tone changing. "You think standing beside my uncle makes you untouchable?"
Audrey met his eyes this time without flinching. "No. I think standing beside the truth makes you uncomfortable."
That struck him.
She saw it.
For one brief second, the polished mask cracked and something darker flashed through his eyes.
Nathan's voice turned to steel. "You and your companion should move on."
Damian's jaw tightened.
Serene looked ready to spit another insult, but Nathan's expression stopped her cold. There was something merciless in his calm, something that made it clear he would not hesitate to humiliate them publicly if they pushed further.
Damian gave Audrey one last look. "Enjoy the night while you can."
Then he turned and walked away, Serene forced to follow.
Only after they disappeared into the crowd did Audrey let out a slow breath.
"You handled that well," Nathan said quietly.
Audrey gave a small, humorless smile. "I was shaking inside."
"And yet they never saw it."
She glanced at him. "Does that count for something?"
Nathan's gaze held hers. "It counts for a lot."