Sora caught a glimpse of Anthony holding court near the farther grand staircase leading to the balconies. Anthony Himura is never without an audience wherever he goes. She spied Diana Parrilla, the mother of Anthony's firstborn son, amid the throng. Sora recognized at once the predatory gleam in Diana. You're one a few. Don't let him catch you. Diana was as Sora had been at her worst: she believed she could tame beast. Sora had learned. Diana would have to learn twice.

Ravi and Sora ran into Stephen Wilder from Jabot Cosmetics out of Harborview coming out of the performance hall where tonight's presentation was to take place. Ravi shook his hand and slapped his back.

"Stephen, welcome back to L.A. You should come more often. You'd fit right in."

The man with the million-dollar smile lit up and embraced Ravi like an old friend.

"You sly dog. How'd you get back in town without anybody raising the alarm?"

"I snuck in like a vandal in the night. I'm good like that. Here, let me introduce you to Sora Gallegos Himura. She's the new CEO over at Himura Media Group."

"First and foremost, may I say that you look amazing? Something tells me I'm looking at Ravi Misra original."

"Guilty as charged."

They all laughed.

Sora and Stephen shook hands and he covered hers with his.

"I heard about the donation you made to the Amelia Intiative. I can't tell you how much that meant to me and Evan."

"I'm a mother. I can't imagine what I'd do if I lost my little boy. I had to do something, no matter how little."

"It's no small thing at home. Thank you."

Sora nodded.

"Now, what's this I hear about Himura and Misra teaming up for a poetry contest?"

Ravi gave the floor to Sora. I can't believe I'm doing this.

"That depends. What are your thoughts on Shakespeare?"

...

...

Yelena arrived with Diego and his mother Diana half an hour later. Sora's niece made a splash in her flapper-inspired gown and headpiece. All things considered, Sora thought it best to keep her distance, and Ravi didn't protest, though he raised his glass of bubbly to the three when they passed in proximity.

Manendra entered with Hana on one arm and Aiko on the other shortly thereafter, Imogen with Narsi bringing up the rear. Sora avoided their notice altogether by moving from Ravi's right arm to his left where he blocked her from view. She didn't want a scene. Let me have tonight.

Ten minutes had not elapsed before Hana broke away from Manendra's side to turn their chatting trio into a quartet.

"Good evening. I hope I'm not interrupting." She came bearing a duet of champagne flutes to share with Ravi who already had one. Ravi passed his second on to Stephen.

"Thanks. No interruption here. Ravi and Sora were just explaining the Ama la vita poetry competition they're founding to me. I'm no great fan of the Bard, but I think the idea's got promise. What do you think?"

"Ravi, you didn't mention this at lunch. Do tell."

Sora's champagne soured in her mouth.

"The two of you had lunch?"

Hana leaned over Ravi's shoulder to giggle. "We have lunch all the time, silly. You must have known that since he tells you everything." Sora couldn't miss the gleam of triumph in Hana's eyes as Ravi shifted uneasily on his feet.

"He usually does."

"This isn't happening," Ravi murmured in an undertone. "You may not have guessed, Stephen, but I spend a lot of time brainstorming on my own."

"Mmhmm, Ravi can be a veritable hermit when he gets in a creative mood. You'd think he's gone to hibernate for winter."

Ravi's answering smile was stiff as his posture. "There's a great little Italian place off the Boulevard you should try. Bombay Osteria. It's good if you need peace and quiet. The pasta's first rate. Unfortunately, it can be a little too easy to find, which makes solitude a problem." He was studiously avoiding looking at Hana. And me. Sora swilled her champagne. This evening cannot end soon enough.

Stephen inclined his chin. "Ah."

"Yeah. Hana's got a habit of popping up when I least expect her."

Stephen sipped his champagne, eyebrows quirked.

"You expected me this afternoon. It was your idea for us to meet there, remember?"

Ravi angled his body away from Hana, his tuxedoed arm brushing against Sora's bare shoulder.

"Yes, it was. We had personal matters to discuss."

"Just like tonight."

"No, we really don't."

"Don't miss out on our account." Stephen glanced at Sora. Sora couldn't have guessed at the expression on her face. "How about we leave them to it?"

"Best suggestion I've heard all night." Sora accepted his arm and slipped off into the fray beside him, very much ignoring Ravi as he called her name.

Stephen led her to the nearest waiter carrying a tray of champagne. Sora was only too happy to partake. Champagne made everything more tolerable.

"She's determined as I remember," Stephen remarked.

"Yes, she is." Sora offed half her flute in a single gulp. Trusting doesn't get me anywhere.

"Don't be put out. Ravi was sending out distress signals left and right."

Sora's memory of that conversation had grown fuzzy right when Hana mentioned meeting Ravi for lunch.

"Why'd we leave them together if he didn't want to talk?" When Sora looked back, Ravi's demeanor told the tale. Hana was talking to a brick wall wearing her ex-husband's face.

"You looked upset. Ravi would have wanted me to prioritize you over him."

"Are we that obvious?"

"After about thirty seconds, I'd say yes."

Sora clenched her fist around her clutch. I'm my own worst enemy.

"Excuse me. I have to get out of here. Do you know where the side exit is?"

Stephen eyed her warily before nodding toward an unmarked door behind a neglected potted plant.

"Don't stay out there too long. I'm not sure security's working the side of the building."

"Thanks for the warning."

Sora skirted the crowd of Misra associates and made for the door. She propped herself up against it for a beat, contemplating her next move.

She was angrier at herself than Hana. Hana had gotten the very response she wanted when Sora had left her and Ravi alone. I cannot keep letting her spoil my every moment of happiness. I have to be stronger than those doubts or I'll lose him anyway. They'd only just begun.

Feeling resolved and a tad overheated, Sora pushed opened the side door, and was confronted with a gaggle of press that made the front door rope line look tame. She stumbled in her heels on the threshold, unsure whether to shut the door or respond to the questions being volleyed at her like so many armed hand grenades.

"How does it feel to know all eyes are on you?"

Mortifying.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Since you and Ravi Misra arrived on the green carpet, nobody's talked about anything else."

She didn't like the sound of that.

"Because we were late?"

They weren't.

"Because you came together. Everybody in town figured you two were an item months ago; we've just been waiting for confirmation. Are you two confirming tonight?"

Sora was instantly nauseous. It felt too soon. She wasn't ready.

"No! We're not confirming anything. We're friends."

Sora thought she must have burned tracks in the runner getting as far from the mock press line as possible. She'd wanted air, not to be put on the spot by strangers and cameras. This is not who I am.

She skipped returning to the foyer to make for the spiraling staircase that would take her to the second floor, then the third. She needed a safe haven from all the watchers. Sora hadn't grown up as the center of attention. The shadows were where she thrived.

A number of false starts later, she found the upstairs balcony which overlooked the ballroom and offered a distant view of the green carpet outside the cement garden. More than the cooler air that slowed her racing heart, she found the man who made it race.

Ravi was leaning against the balustrade, nursing a gin and tonic when she stepped on the landing.

"I thought you'd still be with Hana."

Ravi gave her a look.

"You and me, we're...friends." He cocked his head. "Is that what we are? Is that all?"

He heard me. This was supposed to be their night.

"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure this out." Sora fiddled with her skirt, getting a twinge in her stomach at realizing the hem had caught on something and ripped.

"Do you know how you feel about me?"

"I know—I don't know anything. I know this feels nothing like falling in love with Anthony. Nick didn't feel like this, not exactly. You and I have been developing a bond since you came back." She approached him slowly, unsure of her welcome. "This connection just gets stronger and stronger. When I think about giving into it, when I think about going out and holding hands and making love to you...I want all of it. I want you and none of the pain that I know is coming and that I know I'll earn if we do this."

"You haven't earned any more hurt. You've been hurt enough. Anthony and Hana, that was enough. You've paid your debt to the cosmos. It's me that hasn't paid the piper. Let yourself want what we could have."

"It would be the same thing she did to me."

"No, it wouldn't. Don't let anybody convince you otherwise. What's between us isn't comparable to any other love story. You gotta have faith in that."

"I want to have faith, but then Hana shows up and it's all shattered."

"I don't wanna talk about Hana."

"We have to. You've been out with her, same as with me. How am I supposed to take that?"

"Exactly as you heard it. When I wanna have a meal on my own, I go to Bombay Osteria for the stuffed ravioli. Hana's been known to find me. I don't invite her."

"And what do you do when she shows up?"

"What have I done since I got back? I grin and bear it. I let her say her piece and I leave. Has she tried to get me to come back to her? Yes. It hasn't worked. The simple fact is she no longer has anything I want."

"She's making it sound worse than it is."

"That's what she does. If she can arouse doubts, she's already scored points for undermining us."

Ravi met her halfway. She laced their fingers together, palm to palm, pulse to pulse.

"I took her to the restaurant to discuss Dhiren's custody arrangement. Since we're not getting back together, the schedule needs to be more structured. You saw how she responded to my inviting you to Rome. That's why we were together after I was in the park with you, which she hasn't mentioned, but she will. She wanted that to be turning point for her and me. She didn't get what she wanted. I can't give her a heart I've already given to you."

"If we were in your office right now, I'd finish what we started yesterday." Sora was all in.

"There's always the steam room."

"Not a chance."

"I love you, Sora. That's not a deception."

"I know."