ELENA POV
We approached. Brighton saw us, and his smile widened.
"Adrien!" He excused himself from his group and moved toward us. "I wasn't sure you'd actually come."
"Wouldn't miss it, Father." Adrien's voice was perfectly neutral. Polite but distant.
Brighton's eyes shifted to me. Assessing. Curious.
"And who is this lovely young woman?"
"Father, this is Rachel Monroe. Rachel, my father, Senator Thomas Brighton."
Rachel Monroe. The fake identity Adrien had created for me. Complete with backstory, social media presence, and everything else.
I extended my hand, my heart hammering so hard I was sure he could hear it.
"Senator Brighton. It's an honor to meet you."
His handshake was firm. Warm. The hand that had ordered my father's death felt perfectly normal.
"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Monroe. My son has been very secretive about his personal life. I'm glad to meet the woman who's captured his attention finally."
