?Chapter 282:


    Adjusting the fabric at her waist, Steposed herself. “And what brings you to this boutique, Mr. Briggs?”


    “Charity event,” he replied smoothly.


    Ste’s gaze sharpened. She distinctly remembered how William used to avoid social gatherings at all costs.


    Since when did he start mingling at banquets, let alone enjoying them?


    She didn’t bother replying, simply arched a brow and drifted toward the essories, her eyesnding on a diolus ne nestled among the disys.


    The ne, with its luminous, plump pearls and delicate light purple diolus pendant, echoed the hues of her gown and added an elegant flourish to her look.


    “I’ll take this one,” she announced, her voice calm but decisive.


    After paying, Ste swept up her purchases and glided past William without a backward nce, her new gown catching the light as she stepped out of the boutique.


    Watching her retreat, William lingered by the disy, selecting a delicate diolus brooch in the samevender hue as Ste’s ne. He fastened it discreetly to his pocket, the subtle essory echoing hers without drawing too much attention.


    Once satisfied, he settled the bill and slipped out after her.


    “We seem to be heading the same direction. Care to ride together?” he called out casually.


    Ste was just unlocking her car when his voice drifted over.


    She arched a brow, lips curving in mild amusement. “Mr. Briggs, don’t you have your own ride?”


    The words she bit back were obvious—his Bentley certainly outssed anything she drove.


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    “My driver took it in for maintenance,” William remarked with azy smirk.


    A faint sense of unease prickled at Ste’s nerves, but exhaustion left her no room to puzzle it out. She simply opened the car door and gave a wry smile.


    “Mr. Briggs, you’ll have to make do with my humble ride tonight.”


    Their car rolled up to the banquet hall, headlights sweeping across marble steps dusted with gold.


    The moment William and Ste stepped inside, the grand doors parted with a flourish, drawing a cascade of nces from the assembled guests. Conversations faltered.


    All eyes seemed to follow the pair as if the whole evening had been waiting for their arrival.


    Whispers rippled through the crowd. William and Ste, arm-in-arm beneath the glittering chandeliers, seemed tailor-made for the setting—elegant, poised, andpletely in sync.


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