The weeks that followed were a masterclass in absolute avoidance. The annual gala was no longer a distant corporate deadline; it was a physical reality taking shape right beneath our feet.
Yet, Mason remained entirely barricaded in his top-floor sanctuary.
True to his word, he did not interact with Eclipse a single time. He didn't look at her blueprints, he didn't attend the safety briefings, and he didn't step foot on the ground floor unless his private security team had entirely cleared the path to his waiting sedan. If a contract required immediate administrative clearance, or if a structural dispute arose regarding the grand ballroom's layout, the entire negotiation was funneled through his brothers, Warren and Erebus.
From my silent corner in the cabin, I watched the brothers slip
