Chapter 3 - The Gala of DeceptionsThe annual Northstar Innovation Gala was the most anticipated event of the year in Chicago’s corporate society. Traditionally, it was a night of celebration, charity, and brilliant technological unveilings. But tonight, it was a battlefield draped in silk and diamonds.
The emergency board meeting earlier in the week had ended in a vicious stalemate. Nathan had successfully blocked the immediate merger using a complex legal loophole regarding shareholder voting rights, buying us time. But Victoria and her loyal board members had retaliated by publicly announcing their "engagement" to the press, framing Nathan’s hesitation as minor contract negotiations rather than a full-scale rebellion.
To maintain the illusion of corporate stability and prevent a total stock market crash, Nathan was forced to attend the Gala with Victoria on his arm.
And because the data analysis department was receiving a departmental award, I was forced to be in the same room.
I stood near the towering ice sculpture at the center of the Palmer House ballroom, clutching a glass of champagne like a lifeline. Harper had helped me pick out a dress—a deep, elegant sapphire-blue gown that draped beautifully across my curves, making me feel far more confident than I actually was. But even the dress couldn't shield me from the crushing anxiety of the evening.
Across the room, flashes from the press photographers’ cameras continuously illuminated Nathan and Victoria. Nathan looked devastatingly handsome in a classic black tuxedo, but his face was an unreadable mask of cold indifference. Victoria clung to his arm like a glittering parasite, wearing a diamond necklace that cost more than my apartment building, smiling flawlessly for the cameras.
Every time I looked at them, a sharp pang of insecurity twisted in my stomach. She was a billionaire heiress. I was just Maya. What if this was too much? What if Nathan realized the cost of fighting for me was simply too high?
"Breathe, Maya," Harper whispered, nudging my arm. "You look like you're about to pass out into the shrimp cocktail."
"I'm fine," I lied, taking a sip of the champagne.
But I wasn't fine. And things were about to get infinitely worse.
While Nathan was temporarily cornered by a group of international investors, I watched Victoria excuse herself and scan the room. Her icy-blue eyes locked onto me with the precision of a sniper. A cruel, triumphant smile curled her lips, and she began walking directly toward me.
"Harper," I said quickly, my pulse skyrocketing. "Can you go get us some water?"
Harper looked confused but nodded, stepping away just as Victoria arrived.
Victoria didn't greet me. She stood far too close, invading my personal space, her eyes trailing over my sapphire gown with a look of mock pity.
"Sapphire blue," Victoria murmured, taking a sip of her martini. "It's a lovely color on you. Off the rack, I assume? It lacks the tailoring of bespoke couture. But I suppose one works with what one can afford."
I tightened my grip on my glass, forcing myself to stand tall. "It's a beautiful gala, Miss Sterling. If you'll excuse me—"
"I know it's you," Victoria whispered, her voice dropping into a venomous hiss that only I could hear. "I ran a background check on every female employee Nathan has interacted with in the last three months. I saw the security footage of the two of you walking by the river. You're the little mouse who convinced the lion he didn't need his pride."
My breath hitched, but I refused to break eye contact. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Victoria laughed softly, stepping even closer. "Let me explain how the world works, Maya. Nathan is a king. Kings do not marry peasants. They might play with them, they might pity them, but eventually, they return to their thrones. If you don't resign on Monday and leave Chicago, I will destroy your life. I will blacklist you from every tech firm in the country. I will fabricate evidence of corporate espionage on your hard drive, and I will see you sent to federal prison. Do you understand me?"
The sheer malice in her voice paralyzed me. She wasn't making empty threats. She had the money, the power, and the lack of morality to do exactly what she promised. Tears of genuine terror pricked my eyes. I felt incredibly small, incredibly foolish for believing a fairytale could survive in a world this cutthroat.
"Are you threatening my employee, Victoria?"
The voice sliced through the air like a broadsword.
Nathan materialized behind Victoria, his presence so overwhelming that the ambient noise of the gala seemed to instantly quiet around us. His eyes were burning with a terrifying, suppressed fury.
Victoria stiffened, her mask of poise slipping for a fraction of a second before she recovered with a sugary smile. "Nathan. I was just admiring Miss Bennett's dress. We were having a lovely chat."
"Leave her alone," Nathan commanded, his voice lethal. He didn't care who was watching. He didn't care about the board members hovering nearby. He stepped past Victoria, placing himself firmly at my side, his shoulder brushing against mine in a silent, grounding gesture of protection.
"Nathan, people are looking," Victoria hissed, her façade cracking as panic set in. "The press is right over there. If you make a scene with this nobody—"
"This 'nobody' has more integrity in her little finger than you have in your entire bloodline," Nathan said loudly enough for the surrounding guests to hear. The chatter in our vicinity abruptly stopped. Dozens of eyes turned toward us.
Victoria’s face flushed a deep, humiliated red. "You are making a fool of yourself. You are throwing away a billion-dollar empire for a virgin who still plays dress-up!"
The insult hung in the air, a desperate, nasty attempt to humiliate me.
But Nathan didn't flinch. He turned to me, his dark eyes softening, filled with an adoration so profound it took my breath away. He gently took my trembling hand, lifting it to his lips, and kissed my knuckles in front of the entire elite society of Chicago.
"I am a billionaire, Victoria," Nathan said smoothly, never taking his eyes off me. "I can build another empire. I cannot build another Maya."
May you like
He dropped my hand, turning his devastating glare back to Victoria. "The merger is dead. The engagement is officially canceled. And if you ever come near her again, I won't just defeat your company in the market—I will bury the Sterling name so deeply that history will forget it existed."
With the entire ballroom watching in stunned silence, Nathan placed a protective hand on the small of my back and guided me out of the gala, leaving a shattered, humiliated Victoria Sterling standing alone in the center of the room.
