The night air was still, cool against the skin, the faint chorus of violins drifting faintly from the grand hall behind them. The gardens outside the building were bathed in silver from the semi-moon, its pale glow painting the marble columns and manicured hedges in soft light. At the edge of the secluded terrace, a tall figure stood unmoving.. his hands buried in the pockets of his trousers, his silver hair catching the moon's glow like strands of liquid starlight. His presence alone was enough to bend the silence around him.
Penelope's heels clicked lightly along the stone corridor, her long gown trailing gracefully as she strode into view. Her lips curled into a half-smile, her eyes glinting with that familiar mixture of amusement and defiance.
"I didn't expect you to show up," she said, her tone light and teasing as though she were greeting an old friend at a casual dinner rather than one of the most formidable men alive.
