The banquet hall was a glittering ocean of suits, gowns, and champagne. Crystal chandeliers spilled gold across the marble floors, and everywhere she turned, Erin saw faces—laughing, toasting, congratulating.
It was strange.
Not long ago, she'd walked into this empire under scrutiny, her name dragged through dirt. Now her work had sealed a partnership with one of the fastest-rising pharmaceutical firms in the country. Now she stood here… not as the accused, but as the one they all toasted to.
She wasn't overdressed or loud. She didn't seek attention. And yet, all of it seemed to gravitate toward her.
She walked beside Xander, her steps slow and graceful, her black satin dress hugging her figure modestly but elegantly. Her hair was pinned with silver accents that glinted like stars, and her expression—composed, yet unreadable—left most of the room guessing what she was thinking.
Xander couldn't look away.
She'd saved them.
The proposal she submitted—her proposal—had not only salvaged the ruined deal but elevated the company's reputation. It was Erin's name behind the contract that brought the pharmaceutical firm into partnership with Volkov Corp. And tonight was for her.
"You're still staring," Erin murmured beside him, a subtle smile playing at her lips as she kept her gaze forward.
He blinked. "Am I?"
"Blatantly."
Xander leaned slightly toward her, voice low. "Forgive me for being caught off guard. I'm not used to my assistant outshining everyone in the room, including me."
She rolled her eyes. "I told you I clean up well."
"You didn't say this well."
Erin fought the smile tugging at her lips, brushing a nonexistent speck from her dress. "Don't make me regret agreeing to come with you."
"You didn't have a choice," Xander said, raising his glass teasingly. "It's your celebration, remember?"
Erin shook her head. "You made it sound like you were dragging me here for your benefit."
"I might be."
She tilted her head at him. "You enjoying this?"
"Immensely," he said, not even bothering to hide it.
"Champagne?"
Erin turned. Xander was at her side, holding a glass out toward her, his lips curled in that maddeningly lazy smirk. And for a few minutes, he said nothing. And as the silence prevailed, Erin couldn't help but point it out.
"You're surprisingly quiet," she said, taking another sip from the glass.
"I'm trying not to get drunk and say something I'll regret."
"Like what?"
"Like how I might actually be proud of you," he said, sipping his own drink with a casual shrug.
She laughed softly, shaking her head. "Wow. I should frame that. Might actually be the nicest thing you've said to me all month."
"I said might."
Their eyes lingered a second too long.
Then someone called his name from across the hall, and he stepped away with a glance that said we're not done.
Erin let herself breathe.
Erin's eyes swept the room. She caught the subtle glances being thrown their way—some envious, others curious. It didn't matter. Not tonight.
This was her moment. She'd earned it.
Just then, a clink of a spoon against glass brought the ballroom to a hush. One of the board members stood, raising a toast in her direction.
"To the young woman who reminded us that sometimes, the most unlikely hands hold the brightest minds. Here's to Erin Raven."
Applause filled the room. Xander remained still, watching her as everyone else clapped.
Just then, Lilianne entered.
Perfect. Erin's eyes narrowed as she watched her saunter in late, dressed like this was her coronation. The same fake smile. The same eyes that burned with disdain behind kindness. Most people were too busy celebrating to notice her entrance.
Erin stepped forward.
She wasn't going to wait anymore.
She tapped her glass gently—once, twice. The clinking pulled heads her way. Murmurs followed. Even Xander paused mid-conversation, his brows drawing together.
"If I could have a moment," Erin said, her voice cutting through the low buzz of chatter, "I'd like to say something."
She felt the tension ripple.
"I know tonight is about celebrating a successful partnership," she began. "And I'm grateful for everyone who believed in me enough to give me the chance to prove myself."
She looked toward Xander briefly.
"But I also believe in truth. And accountability."
Now people were turning.
Erin took a slow breath. "Three nights ago, I was accused of selling confidential information. Footage showed me entering an office on the same night key project documents were moved. I was told all signs pointed to me."
She held up her phone.
"But what no one asked was why the office had been accessed again—just fifteen minutes after I left."
Whispers erupted.
Xander straightened in his seat.
Erin turned her screen. "This is the security log, showing a second entry into the Vice President's office that same night. The file was accessed again—but this time, it was remotely transferred. And the device used?"
She turned her gaze to Lilianne, calm but unwavering.
"Was the same one in the receipts of Lillianne's purchase just the day before. That can't be a coincidence."
The room froze.
Lilianne's smile didn't even flicker. "You must be mistaken."
"Am I?" Erin clicked something else. "Because I also had the cyber team trace the financial activities Lillianne. A huge sum of money was sent to an employee here; the janitor. The same janitor who entered that night. And the day before the upload, there is CCTV footage of Lillianne and the janitor meeting in a restaurant. Seems to me like that was when she gave Lillianne the proposal she stole. When the files were been sent to the rivals, it passed through a VPN—very clever—but not clever enough. It pinged once outside Lillianne's home."
Now the smile faltered.
Xander rose, slowly.
Lilianne glanced toward him. "You're not seriously—"
"I am," Xander said coldly.
Lilianne scoffed. "You'd believe her over me?"
"I didn't," he replied. "But now I believe the proof."
Silence fell again.
And this time, it was final.
Lilianne turned sharply, heels clacking across the floor as she stormed out.
No one stopped her.
Erin stepped back, her heart pounding. The adrenaline was only now catching up to her.
Xander moved toward her through the crowd, his expression unreadable. He reached for her empty glass and exchanged it with a full one.
"You could've told me," he said softly.
"I needed to be sure first."
He studied her for a long moment. Then, very quietly: "You look dangerously good when you're right."
Her lips twitched. "I usually am."
They clinked their glasses again.
As the crowd began to mingle again, Erin quietly slipped away from the center. She needed air. Not escape—but a moment to breathe.
She found it at the edge of the banquet hall near the open balcony. Cool air brushed against her skin as she leaned on the railing.
Xander found her there not long after.
"You always vanish after people compliment you?" he asked, stepping beside her.
She looked out at the moonlit city. "I'm not good with crowds."
"You handled the board just fine."
"That's work," she said. "This…" She gestured at the party. "Is noise."
He chuckled. "Well, for what it's worth, you made it look easy."
She glanced at him, hesitating for a moment. "Why are you being so nice to me tonight?"
His brow rose. "Shouldn't I be?"
"I just…" She trailed off, the words disappearing on her tongue.
Xander leaned a little closer. "Say it."
"I thought after everything—you might not look at me the same."
"I don't," he said honestly.
She turned toward him sharply, but he smiled, soft and genuine.
"I look at you differently. I see you clearer now."
Erin's lips parted, but she couldn't find a reply.
"I know what this cost you," he said. "The pressure. The suspicion. You stood there while everyone doubted you. You proved yourself anyway."
"You stood by me," she said quietly.
Xander shrugged one shoulder. "It was the least I could do."
A silence fell between them, gentle but charged.
"You know," he added, "I'm still not sure how you pulled it off."
She looked at him carefully. "Does it matter?"
"Maybe not," he admitted. "But… the way Lillianne stormed out earlier, I'm guessing we'll find out soon."
Erin's gaze turned forward again. "She had it coming."
"Yeah," Xander said. "She did."
They stood there a while longer, the wind tousling their hair, the city alive below them. Eventually, Erin turned to go—but not before Xander caught her wrist.
"I never got to say it," he said.
She stilled.
"You saved us today. Thank you."
Erin looked down at his hand around her wrist, then up into his eyes. And for a moment, everything between them pulsed like a held breath.
Then she smiled, just faintly. "You're welcome."