The realization hit me all at once. This man wasn't just some rich stranger Ivyhad accidentally spilled a drink on.
This was him.
He was the date grandfather had planned for ivy.
I stared at Zane Whitmore, my expression calm only because years of practice had taught me how to hide reaction behind stillness. Inside, my thoughts were anything but quiet.
A club?
He brought her to a club?
Of all places.
Ivy stood beside me, shoulders hunched, fingers twisting together nervously. She looked out of place up here. Too young. Too unguarded for a man like this.
I felt irritation rise fast and hot, followed closely by something colder.
Of course this is how he does it, I thought. Dim lights. Alcohol. Loud music. Evaluate how pliable she is.
My jaw tightened.
Zane looked between the two of us, his gaze settling briefly on Ivy before returning to me. "You must be Ivy."
Ivy nodded, barely meeting his eyes. "Yes. I mean…..yes, sir."
Sir.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
I stepped slightly in front of her again, my body angling protectively without conscious effort. "So this is the date," I said, my tone polite but edged. "At a club." Since he didn't answer to my earlier question.
His expression didn't change. If anything, he looked mildly amused. "Is there an issue with the venue?"
I held his gaze. "For someone who's barely old enough? Yes."
Ivy sucked in a quiet breath beside me.
Zane studied me more carefully now. Not offended. Not defensive. Curious.
"You're her cousin," he said.
"Yes I told you that before."
"And you disapprove."
"That's one word for it," I replied.
Inside my head, I was far less composed.
Arrogant. Detached. Probably thinks this makes him look modern.
Congratulations. You look like a dick instead.
Ivy shifted nervously. "Elaine, it's okay. I just….."
"It's late," I said gently, turning to her. "And you're exhausted."
She hesitated. "But you..." probably already knowing where I'm headed.
"I'll be fine."
She didn't look convinced.
I turned back to Zane. "I'd like her to go home."
His brow lifted slightly. "Now?"
"Yes."
There was a pause. The music pulsed faintly behind us, laughter floating from another booth. Zane glanced at Ivy again, really looking this time. Her unease. The way she stood half behind me. The way she nodded too quickly when he met her eyes.
"Very well," he said. "I'll have someone take her."
"I want to know who," I said immediately.
Something like approval flickered across his face.
He gestured subtly, and a man stepped forward from nearby. Tall. Solid. Calm. Not dressed like security, but unmistakably there for that purpose.
"Marcus," Zane said. "He'll see her home safely."
I looked at Marcus, assessing. He met my gaze without flinching. Professional and grounded.
I turned to Ivy. "Lucas is going to lose his mind if you're not home soon."
That did it.
Looking at her phone she sighed. "He already texted me twice." Yeap Lucas can be protective like that.
"Exactly."
She looked between me and Zane, uncertainty written all over her face. "But I don't want to leave you here alone."
I smiled, softening my voice. "I'll be right behind you. I just need to clear something up."
"With him?" she asked quietly.
"Yes cupcakes."
Her brows drew together. "Elaine….."
"I promise," I said, squeezing her hands. "I'm okay."
She searched my face, then nodded slowly. "Okay."
Marcus stepped closer, offering his arm politely. Ivy took it after one last look at me.
"Text me when you get home," I said.
"I will."
I watched them disappear down the stairs before turning back to Zane.
The space between us felt smaller now that lvy wasn't here.
I took a step toward the booth but stopped short, choosing the far end instead of sitting close. I crossed one leg over the other, placing my bag neatly beside me.
Distance mattered.
Zane noticed. Of course he did.
"You don't trust me," he said.
"I have no reason to." I replied.
He leaned back slightly, one arm resting along the back of the booth looking relaxed and unbothered.
"You seemed to have already formed an opinion," he said.
I met his gaze steadily. "You scheduled a first meeting with a young woman you barely know at a club. That tells me enough to ask questions."
"And yet you stayed."
"For my cousin," I said. "Not for you."
His lips curved faintly. "Then why ask to speak privately?"
Because this was the moment.
I exhaled slowly. "Because there's been a misunderstanding."
"Has there?"
"Yes."
He waited.
I straightened my shoulders. "Ivy isn't suited for this arrangement."
Something sharpened in his eyes. "You speak for her?" Glad he knows exactly what I'm talking about.
"I speak for someone who hasn't been given all the information," I said. "And who trusts the wrong people too easily."
"Including you?"
The question landed closer than I expected.
I didn't flinch. "Including me."
Silence stretched between us.
Zane studied me with renewed interest now, not like a man assessing a deal, but like one encountering resistance he hadn't anticipated.
"And what exactly are you suggesting?" he asked.
I held his gaze, pulse steady, voice calm.
"That if you're looking for someone to marry from my famil," I said, "it shouldn't be her."
"And who should it be?"
A deliberate question.
I let a beat pass.
"Me."