Chapter 12: The Unspoken StareThe annual corporate gala was a sea of sequins, forced laughter, and clinking glasses. Elara, in a stunning emerald dress that seemed to siphon the light from the room, was holding court. She laughed at a joke from the CFO, her head thrown back, the sound like music that Leo, standing stiffly near the bar, could somehow hear over the din.He swirled the whiskey in his glass, his jaw tight. He’d been watching her all night. Watching men watch her. It was a special kind of torture.#LoveVsEgoThen, Ben Miller from the new mergers team approached her.