“But then, you never did know when to give up, did you?”

He stepped around the pillar.

The bright white light of his flashlight hit my eyes, blinding me.

I shielded my face with my forearm, squinting into the glare.

“Get that out of my face, Harrison,” I said.

He did not lower the light.

“What are you doing down here, Vivian?” he asked.

“The gala started an hour ago.”

“I could ask you the same thing,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

“Though we both know the answer.”

Harrison took another step closer, his shadow stretching long and dark behind him.

“You should be upstairs, playing the happy wife for the cameras,” he said.

“Mother has the photographers lined up.”

“I am done playing roles for your family,” I said.

I shifted my weight, looking for an opening toward the stairs.

He saw the movement and stepped into my path, blocking the narrow exit.

“You look tense,” he said.

“Is there something in your pocket, Vivian?”

“Nothing that belongs to you,” I said.

“Everything in this house belongs to the Ashford family now,” he said.