Boss, Your Ex-Wife is Unreachable Now! novel Chapter 178

The four of them left the lounge together and slipped onto the dance floor, blending seamlessly into the crowd.

Cordelia had danced with Lionel before, so their movements were in sync—the two of them quickly found their rhythm and lost themselves in the music.

As the melody rose and fell around them, Lionel pulled Cordelia close in a perfect turn, his arm circling her waist from behind. Leaning in, his lips almost brushed her ear as he whispered, his voice low and teasing, "I'm glad I get to dance with you again, Miss Cordelia."

A shiver ran through Cordelia, and the warmth of his breath left her ear tinged pink.

With another spin and a step, the pair glided right up beside York and Melinda. Before Cordelia could catch her breath, the music shifted into an interlude, and Lionel, with effortless ease, traded partners with York.

The switch happened so fast that both York and Cordelia froze in surprise.

York knew that social dances sometimes called for partners to switch during the interludes, but he hadn't expected it to happen so suddenly—or for Lionel to pull it off with such smooth precision that it left him no time to react.

Still, York recovered first. Instinctively, he reached out, his hand finding Cordelia's waist, steadying her as they continued the dance.

Cordelia's emotions were a whirlwind—her heart barely had time to settle before it was sent racing again.

York smiled at her. "When did you get here?"

Her cheeks flushed, and she felt clumsy as she replied, "Just—about ten minutes before the ball started."

In truth, she'd arrived a full half hour early, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it.

"The guy you were just dancing with—he's got good technique," York added, conversational but watchful.

Without thinking, Cordelia glanced around, searching for Lionel.

He wasn't far away, waltzing closely with Melinda—just as Cordelia was with York now.

So Lionel was helping her, not trying to make a fool of her.

She made a mental note: after the ball, she'd have to apologize to him for her earlier attitude.

Evelyn and Major, still caught up in the thrill of their last dance, stayed on the floor for another round.

Meanwhile, York and his company's new starlet had danced several numbers in a row.

At charity balls like this, it was customary not to dance more than three times in succession with the same partner, lest it appear too intimate. Yet York seemed unconcerned with such etiquette, which inevitably sparked a flurry of speculation among the other guests.

No one knew how much time passed before York, arm-in-arm with Melinda, finally left the dance floor with Evelyn and Major, and made his way toward Cordelia and Lionel.

"Mr. Scott, let me introduce you—this is York Sinclair, the younger son of the Sinclairs," Evelyn said, smoothly making the introductions, though she made no move to acknowledge the young woman at York's side.

Lionel stood, his manner polite but reserved. "Lionel Scott. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sinclair."

York blinked, caught off guard. "Scott?"

Almost automatically, he asked, "Do you know Zachariah Scott—the chairman of Scott Industries?"