The TV lawyer pontificates to us for several more minutes until the fake smile I’m wearing starts to make my cheeks hurt. He doesn’t ask either of us a single thing about ourselves, which annoys me—Hannah is here to network, and even though I have no doubt that she’d never want to work for his firm, I feel like this guy should be more impressed by the amazing woman standing in front of him.

Finally, Max sees someone across the room who must be more “important” than either of us, because he quickly wraps up his latest story.

“I’d better move along. Gotta keep making the rounds,” he says with a brash laugh. “See you two later.”

He wanders off, and I rest a hand on Hannah’s lower back as I watch him go.

“What a douche,” I mutter, more to myself than anyone else, but Hannah still hears it.

She shrugs, laughing softly. “He’s a rich TV lawyer. What do you expect?”

You deserve better than this crowd.

The thought flashes through my mind, hovering right on the tip of my tongue, but somehow I manage to keep it to myself. It’s true, though. Dr. Price seemed nice enough, and I’m sure the rest of her professors are fine too, but as I’m looking around the room, I can’t help thinking how fake and pretentious all of this is—and how equally fake and pretentious most of the people are.

No wonder Hannah hates this. I don’t blame her. These aren’t her people at all, and she’s nothing like them. She does a good enough job of faking it because she has to, but something tells me if she had her way, she’d never set foot in a place like this again. And that’s exactly what I like about her. She hasn’t let all of this glitz and glamour change her—she’s still real in a room full of pretenders.

As I’m surveying the room, my chest tightens when my eyes land on a familiar face I really did not want to see. Hannah’s ex, Aaron, is standing across the room talking to a small group of people.

Thankfully, Hannah hasn’t noticed Aaron looking every bit the part of the rich child of privilege he is as he schmoozes with the best of them in his expensive suit. He looks just as smug and arrogant as the rest, and even the sight of him is enough to stir my protectiveness and possessiveness again.

Something primal ignites in me.

I need to get her alone. Now.