Alessia tilted her head at Cassian, her tone honeyed and effortlessly charming.
"Lord Cassian, I've never danced in a ballroom before," she said, offering a smile so angelic it practically glittered. "Would you honor me as my first partner?"
Cassian shrugged with a nonchalant air that set Selene's teeth grinding. "Hmm. All right," he said. Before anyone could blink, Alessia had his hand in hers, pulling him onto the floor.
Selene froze. Her breath hitched. Her nails bit into her gloves as she watched her fiancé being whisked away. Her fiancé!
Selene's chest rose and fell rapidly, her composure fraying like an old lace hem. 'How dare she?' her mind screamed. 'How dare that lowborn usurp my place in public? Have she no shame?' Her fists trembled as her carefully practiced demeanor cracked.
