The party's buzz faded past midnight, the garden exhaling its last bursts of energy. The bar packed away its final bottles of champagne, and the lanterns dimmed one by one, their soft glow swaying in the breeze like fading embers. Laughter and clinking glasses grew sparse, the crowd thinning as guests drifted off in twos and threes, their voices swallowed by the Iron City night. The estate's grandeur settled into quiet, the pool's ripples stilling under the weight of the stars.
Ryan hadn't forgotten Palmer's words. As the party wound down, he led Chloe to his black K3, her silk dress brushing his arm as he opened the passenger door. He drove her home through Iron City's neon-lit streets, the city's pulse a low hum beneath their silence, her hand resting lightly on his. The skyline flickered like a promise, steel and dreams woven into the night.
——
