Edge of Control

KAEL

I didn't care for parties. Too many perfumes masking desperation, too many hands grasping for a piece of me under the guise of toasts and business cards. But just like my father had taught me, I tolerated them—for power, for appearances, for control.

But tonight, for her.

The music was low and sultry, the kind that wrapped around you like smoke. A subtle crowd shifted as we entered—men in tailored suits, women in silk and diamonds, and dancers in traditional kimono moving like whispered promises under the warm gold lighting.

But none of it held my attention.

It was her. Aria. On my arm.