[ He's not expecting to be confronted by Altria, of all people. If he keeps brushing her off, he knows she'll stop asking. He doesn't necessarily want to do that, but... He looks directly at her, eyes unflinching. ]

You should enjoy the gala. Tonight's supposed to be a night of fun and excitement. It would be bad manners to let anything else ruin it.

[ He knows this won't assuage her, but right now, the gala should be the focus. Everyone's focus. His feelings were irrelevant here. ]