Too Late For Regret: Watch Me Shine

The brass elevator doors slid open with a soft chime. Fiona stepped out into the dimly lit corridor of the Manhattan private club, the vintage wall sconces casting long, distorted shadows across the heavy wallpaper. She gripped the velvet gift box in her right hand, her fingers cramping from holding it too tight during the ride up.

She looked down, using her free hand to smooth the silk of her skirt. She forced her lungs to take in a slow, deep breath, trying to push down the exhaustion that had settled in her chest from staying up three nights straight to finish his gift.

Her stilettos sank into the thick Persian carpet with each step. The dense physical material swallowed the sound of her footsteps completely, allowing her to approach in absolute silence.

At the far end of the hallway, the heavy mahogany door to the VIP suite stood slightly ajar. A gap of yellow light spilled out onto the floor, accompanied by the thumping bass of the music and the overlapping hum of male voices.

Fiona slowed her pace. A small, genuine smile touched the corners of her lips as she imagined the look on Kevon's face when he opened the box and saw the antique watch she had tracked down for months. She adjusted her grip on the velvet box, her thumb stroking the soft fabric.

She reached the door, her hand extending toward the brass handle. Before her fingers made contact, the music inside the suite abruptly cut out. The sudden silence was deafening, and the void of sound made the voices inside shockingly clear.

"Seriously, man," Preston's voice drifted through the crack, carrying the lazy tone of someone half-drunk. "When are you actually going to tie the knot with Fiona? The society pages are getting impatient."

Fiona's hand froze an inch from the brass. Her breath hitched in her throat. She waited, her pulse suddenly pounding in her ears, desperate to hear the reassurance she had been fed for three years.

A cold, dismissive scoff echoed from inside. The sound was painfully familiar. It was Kevon.

"Marriage?" Kevon's voice was flat, devoid of any warmth. "It's just a necessary transaction. The Baxter family needs a presentable, obedient PR billboard, and she fits the description. For now."

Fiona's heart seized in her chest. It felt like a physical clamp had been tightened around her ribs, stopping the blood flow. Her fingers turned to ice, hovering uselessly in the air. Her mind went completely blank, wiped clean of the fantasy she had constructed.

"Come on," Preston pressed, his tone shifting to something more serious. "She's poured everything into your career, Kev. She even signed over the patent rights to the 'Starlight' series. That was worth millions."

Kevon cut him off with an irritated click of his tongue. "That was the price of admission. She's a nobody from Brooklyn who wanted to latch onto a top-tier family. Handing over those patents was the least she could do for the