Three minutes.
I pictured the people waiting on the other side of the curtain. There were strangers, yes, but there were also people there for me. People who loved me, supported me, and would never judge me no matter how well or how poorly I performed. They were my rocks, and thinking about them quelled some of my nerves.
Two minutes.
A strange calm descended as everyone settled into their places. Of course I wanted to dazzle onstage, but at the end of the night, it wasn’t about the perfect performance. It was about the fact that I was here at all.
For years, I’d avoided participating in the showcase because I was scared I wouldn’t live up to who I used to be. I’d finally faced those fears and learned to appreciate my body in all its forms.
I had to scratch and claw my way toward this moment, but I made it. I was here, and that was an accomplishment in and of itself.
One minute.
That being said, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t pour my heart out on that stage. This performance was my swan song, and I was going to try my damn hardest to do it the justice it deserved.
The remainder of my nerves dissolved into a soft smile.
Showtime.
The curtains rose.
The music started.
And I danced.
CHAPTER 55ASHER
Two months later
“Since it’s our six-month anniversary, I could technically make you tell me where we’re going,” Scarlett said. “I’ll say it’s my anniversary gift. You can’t deny me that, can you?”
“Nice try, darling, but if you waste your gift asking me about the surprise, you won’t get the surprise itself,” I said, amused. “And trust me. You’ll want the surprise.”
“This is torture,” she grumbled, but I heard the curiosity in her voice, even if I couldn’t see it in her eyes.
I’d secured a silk blindfold over them before we left my house and remained steadfast against her attempts to make me crack. I hadn’t spent months planning tonight’s date to ruin it at the last minute.
Our footsteps echoed against the marble floors as I guided her through the entryway and up the lift. Our destination was on the third floor, and I wasn’t going to risk taking her up three flights of stairs when she was blindfolded.
“Ooh, a lift.” Scarlett perked up at the sound of the doors sliding closed. “So we’re probably not going to a restaurant unless it’s one of the ones in the Shard or something. Are we in a hotel? Museum? Harrods?”
I stifled a laugh. “None of the above. Stop trying to guess, darling. You won’t get it.”
“Well, now I take that as a challenge.”
Of course she would. Her competitiveness was one of the things I loved about her.
But, as predicted, Scarlett couldn’t guess correctly before we arrived. I wouldn’t have either if I were in her shoes. It wasn’t a place most people could access, and if Sebastian hadn’t helped, I couldn’t have pulled this off.
“You can stop guessing.” I grinned and placed a hand on the small of her back, bringing her to a halt in front of a set of arched double doors. “We’re here.”
A thread of nerves wove through my anticipation as I removed her blindfold and slipped it into my pocket. Tonight was a big night—it’d been six months since our date in Tokyo, when we’d agreed to make our relationship official—and I’d taken a risk by adding a little…flair to the traditional anniversary dinner.
But the greater the risk, the greater the reward, and Scarlett deserved something more special than just a fancy dinner.
Scarlett blinked, her eyes presumably adjusting to the light after nearly an hour of being blindfolded. She glanced around the marble hall with its museum-quality paintings and priceless antique vases. Despite its opulence, it gave no hint as to the purpose or location of the building.
“Where are we?” she asked, her face a mosaic of confusion and intrigue.
My nerves sparked brighter as I reached for the gilded handles and opened the double doors. I stepped aside so she could enter, and my grin returned at her audible intake of breath.
“Scarlett,” I said. “Welcome to the Valhalla Club library.”
The Valhalla Club was an ultra-exclusive society for the world’s wealthiest and most powerful. It had chapters in every major city, and its London branch occupied one of the most splendid mansions in all of England. Every room looked like it belonged in Buckingham Palace, but the library?
The library was the most magnificent of them all.
I walked in after Scarlett and let the doors close with a quiet whoosh behind us. It was my second visit—the first had been when Sebastian brought me for a walk-through of the space so I could plan tonight’s date—but the interior never failed to awe me.
Soaring three stories to a massive, elaborately painted ceiling, the library was a wonderland of golden frescoes and leather-bound books. Crystal chandeliers cast the room in amber-hued light, and the main floor featured seven alcoves that separated the library’s impressive collection by category. A sweeping staircase spiraled up to the second and third floors, its steps cushioned with the same rich emerald carpet as the rest of the room.
Beside me, Scarlett took it all in with visible awe. “This is the most beautiful room I’ve ever seen,” she breathed. “How did you…”
“Sebastian is a member, and he was happy to do me a favor—especially after Blackcastle’s recent wins.” The Laurent heir belonged to the New York branch, but as a descendant of one of Valhalla’s founding families, he held more sway than many of its other members. “But the library isn’t the surprise. It’s who’s here.”
I took her hand and pulled her toward one of the seven alcoves.
