People bustled all around them, sses clinking,ughter ringing out across the grand hall.


    From the moment the Quinn family walked in, all eyes in the room seemed to turn their way. After all, in these circles, everyone wanted Ronald Quinn at their party.


    But Ronald rarely made appearances at events like this.


    Tonight, though? Not only was he here, but he''d brought Ste and Yvonne along. Clearly, the host of this evening''s g meant something special to Ronald.


    Ste could feel the weight of all those curious nces. Her cheeks flushed pink. "Would you-can you maybe not do that?" she muttered, squirming under Ronald''s protective arm.


    Ronald just nced at her, the hint of a smile ying on his lips.


    "If you''re not letting me have any more hors d''oeuvres, just let go already," Ste whispered, pouting. Seriously, it''s not like she was going to eat all the shrimp cocktail.


    "Come on," Ronald said, gently ushering her forward. "Let''s go greet our host."


    "Okay," Ste nodded obediently.


    Ronald shot Yvonne a look, and she quickly fell into step beside them. As soon as Ronald''s attention shifted, Ste leaned in close to Yvonne.


    "Hey," she whispered, "who exactly is this Mr. Norton? And why did my brother bring us all here?"


    Yvonne grinned. "Not just us. Mom''s here, too."


    Ste''s eyes widened. "Wait, what? Where?"


    "If I''m not mistaken, Mom''s probably with Mr. Norton right now," Yvonne replied, her tone teasing.


    Ste''s jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"


    If their mother was here too, then the Norton family-who''d always been kind of mediocre before—must have made some serious moves in the past few years. Yvonne caught the look on Ste''s face and exined, "Norton''s younger son went into politics."


    Ste''s eyes lit up. "No kidding?"


    Yvonne nodded. "He''s the new Governor of Reind."


    Ste''s mouth formed a silent "oh." Suddenly, it all made sense—why Ronald would show up for this guy. The Quinns never bothered with people who didn''t have real power.


    Ronald turned around just in time to spot Ste and Yvonne whispering, heads together like two guilty schoolgirls. He doubled back, gently pulling Ste to his side.


    "Hey! What are you doing?" she protested.


    "You don''t need to know everything," Ronald said coolly.


    Ste blinked. "Um... okay?"


    Yvonne rolled her eyes. "Overprotective much?" she muttered under her breath. Honestly, Ronald treated Ste like she was made of ss.


    Yvonne thought Ste needed to know more about the world. Their family''s future depended on it-she couldn''t live in a bubble forever.


    A butler in a pressed tuxedo led them down a maze of halls to Mr. Norton''s study.


    "Mr. Quinn, our host has been waiting for you," the butler said politely.


    Ronald nodded and nced at Idris, who immediately handed over a beautifully wrapped box. “A gift from our family to Mr. Norton," he said.


    "Thank you, sir." The butler epted the gift with a bow.


    As the study doors opened, Ronald turned to Yvonne. "You and Idris wait out here."


    Yvonne grinned, already knowing her role was just to make an appearance.


    Ronald took Ste''s cool hand and led her inside. The door closed softly behind them.


    Yvonne couldn''t help but snicker. "He swears he''s not coddling her-but here she is, at every important event, right by his side."


    She shook her head. "He doesn''t want her to know too much, but someday she''s going to have to learn."


    Idris, ever the loyal right-hand man, just rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Who in their right mind would gossip about the Quinn heir?


    Yvonne nudged him. "Hey,e on-spill. What really happened in Portis City, when Star went up against the Quarry and Larkin families? Don''t leave out the juicy details."