Chapter 12
“So, when are you going to go dance? Weren’t you determined to have a dance with a handsome man?”
“Ugh. Don’t talk to me, seriously.”
Watching the two of them so casually together made me uncomfortable, so I turned away. Just then, I met the eyes of the man Chloe had pointed out earlier, directly and unmistakably.
As soon as his mysterious violet eyes landed on me, they shone with a piercing light.
‘Who is that…?’
There was a sense of familiarity about him, as if I’d seen him somewhere before. But with my limited circle, it didn’t make sense that I wouldn’t remember a man like him.
Frowning slightly, I tilted my head. The man, still holding my gaze, lifted one corner of his mouth in a crooked smile.
“…Are you alright, Winter?”
I heard someone call me from beside me, a beat too late. I turned my head, still dazed, and found two pairs of bright eyes looking at me.
“Hm?”
“Can I borrow Hayden for a bit?”
“Only with your permission, Winter.”
Hayden smiled gently as he spoke.
I hesitated, feeling strangely uncomfortable as I looked between the two of them.
‘Why do I dislike this…?’
I was surprised by my own strong aversion. After the first dance, even for married couples, anyone could dance with anyone else. And if it was Chloe, there was usually no need to even ask. But now that the choice was mine, my throat tightened.
Of course, I couldn’t let my petty feelings show in front of them. Doing my best to act unaffected, I smiled and nodded.
Hayden then asked Chloe for a dance, and her slender hand rested atop his.
“We’ll be right back.”
“Just wait a moment.”
Before Hayden took Chloe’s hand to head to the floor, he pressed a light kiss to my forehead.
Even in that moment, my eyes followed their joined hands. A strange sense of humiliation washed over me.
Those affectionate olive eyes pinned me in place, then left for the floor.
Not wanting to watch them, I took a glass from a passing waiter and looked away.
I hated myself for letting these pointless suspicions continue. The champagne in my glass tasted bitter.
“You look like a woman whose husband is cheating on her.”
Should I just step out to the terrace? Just as I was about to move away, leaving the lively music behind, someone spoke to me.
It was a deep voice, unfamiliar yet strangely familiar. Puzzled, I turned to see those violet eyes from earlier looking down at me.
“…Excuse me?”
“You look like you’re about to cry.”
But the man’s expression was far too arrogant for it to be meant as comfort. I stared at him, startled, then forced my face to harden.
“That’s quite rude of you, especially when we’ve just met.”
“Just met?”
The man gave a slight shrug and laughed.
“Did you forget me? Winter Olivier. Or is it Winter Wolfhaze now?”
Those arrogant violet eyes deepened in color.
Hearing my maiden name after so long, I just stared blankly up at him.
As I gazed at those rare, enigmatic violet eyes, a memory finally surfaced.
“…Eugene?”
A faint smile tugged at the man’s lips, as if I’d answered correctly. I clapped my hand over my parted lips and looked him over again.
The boy from my childhood memories was gone. In his place was a man who towered above the others, with broad shoulders and a formidable presence.
“What are you doing here…?”
The joy of seeing him was fleeting because confusion quickly followed. Eugene was the rumored Felterwins second son?
“How…?”
Stunned, I watched as Eugene held out his large hand to me. The scent of nostalgia made me recall the boy from my childhood.
If you walked down the mountain path behind our estate, there was a small cabin at the end. In that cabin lived a widowed mother and a boy about my age. That was where Eugene and I first met.
“May I have this dance?”
His masculine features wore a faint, lopsided smile.
His demeanor was so cold that it barely felt like a dance invitation.
I hesitated and glanced at Hayden. The two of them on stage were dancing together in perfect harmony, smiling radiantly.
Spinning and spinning, their circular steps scattered across the stage like falling petals.
“What? Do you need your husband’s permission first?”
As I hesitated, Eugene smiled thinly. Behind that smile was unmistakable mockery.
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