The Billionaire Recluse & The girl who stayed.

Out of my comfort zone.

~ Jasper ~

I shouldn't have come.

That thought had been there from the moment I stepped into the ballroom.

Too many people.

Too much noise.

Too much... presence.

Even with the mask, even with the anonymity, it didn't sit right.

I stayed where I always did—on the edge.

Far enough to observe.

Far enough to leave.

A masquerade made things tolerable.

No one knew who I was.

No one approached.

No expectations.

Just distance.

That was the only reason I was here.

For Charlotte.

And even that—

Had its limits.

My gaze moved across the room out of habit, not interest.

Faces blurred behind masks.

Voices blending into one continuous hum.

Meaningless.

All of it.

Until—

Red.

My attention caught without permission.

A flash of deep red through the crowd.

I followed it.

And then I saw her.

Lexi.

Of course it was.

Even without the mask, I would have known.

There weren't many women who looked like that.

The hair alone made her impossible to ignore.

My jaw tightened slightly.

Charlotte.

Of course she'd invited her.

I should have expected it.

I didn't move.

Didn't approach.

I wasn't here for that.

I didn't... do that.

Instead, I watched.

Because that was what I did.

Observed.

Kept distance.

Lexi moved slowly through the room, her posture just slightly off—like she didn't quite belong here.

Like she wasn't used to this world.

She wasn't.

And yet—

She drew attention anyway.

Too much of it.

That should have been enough for me to look away.

To step back.

To leave.

That was the usual response.

But something held my focus there.

Unwanted.

Unnecessary.