He clasped Ariana's hand, guiding her through the dance as the music swirled around them. Yet, her attire was ill-suited for the twirling motion, causing her to stumble. Inadvertently, she ensnared her own skirt and collided with Holden's chest.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry," Ariana stammered, her distress palpable. Panic surged within her, the desire to vanish from the stage nearly overwhelming.

However, Holden just frowned slightly.

As her body had collided with his just moments before, an inexplicable quickening of his heartbeat ensued, an anomaly in his normally steady emotional state since the accident.

An unsettling intuition gnawed at Holden, a feeling that all was not as it should be. Urgency surged through him, compelling him to conclude the dance.

Ariana shared a similar discomfort, her unease augmented by the warmth of Holden's gloved hand at her waist.

The delicate aroma of tobacco entwined with juniper enveloped him, intoxicating her senses

Ariana realized that they couldn't continue like this.

In that pivotal moment, an abrupt, disdainful snort from him jolted her back to reality, shattering her reverie.

For an instant, that cold sound bore an uncanny resemblance to Theodore's voice.

Ariana's head snapped up, but all she could see was the mask's cold facade.

It couldn't possibly be Theodore.

That much was crystal clear to Ariana.

A swirl of complex thoughts surged through her mind. Slowly, she averted her gaze, skimming over his alluring Adam's apple, and redirected her attention elsewhere.

As the music reached its conclusion, the applause of the crowd below snapped Ariana back to reality.

She mustered a composed smile, concealing the disappointment that had taken root within her.

In that instant, a low, raspy voice reached her ears, “Your foot's on mine.”

Startled, Ariana glanced down, realizing that her right foot had inadvertently Landed on his leather shoe.

“It's my fault, I'm sorry." She quickly apologized, hastily retracting her foot. However, in her haste, she almost tripped over her skirt.

Thankfully, he held onto her hand and steadied her.