Chapter 4 - The UnmaskingThe heavy double mahogany doors at the top of the grand marble staircase swung open.
A two-hundred-person path cleared instantly as six broad-shouldered private security operators in dark suits stepped into the room.
Walking cleanly down the center aisle, flanked by Arthur Vance, was me.
My midnight-black Corthay gown caught the light of a hundred crystal chandeliers, sending sparkling reflections across the marble floor. The thirty-carat Sterling Sovereign Emerald gleamed against my chest with a deep, intoxicating green light that drew every eye in the room.
My dark hair fell in commanding waves, my posture fluid, tall, and absolute, carrying the unshakeable authority of a woman who owned every square foot of the building.
The entire ballroom went dead, suffocatingly quiet.
Julian Vance dropped his champagne glass.
CRASH!
The crystal glass shattered against the marble floor, Pinot Noir splashing across his leather shoes, but Julian didn't move. He didn't blink.
His jaw sagged open, his eyes bulging out of his head into vast, bloodshot circles of pure, unadulterated, horror-stricken shock as he stared up at the marble staircase.
Beside him, Evelyn Vance gasped so hard she choked on her wine, her plate of caviar slipping from her fingers, clattering uselessly against the floorboards.
Chloe’s phone slipped from her hand, crashing flat onto the marble, the video recording still running as she stared at me with her mouth wide open.
"C... Clara...?!" Julian stammered out, his voice cracking into a high, pathetic, terrifying squeak that carried across the silent room. "What... what are you doing here?! Why are you wearing those clothes?!"
Evelyn stumbled forward two paces, her golden gown rumpled, pointing a shaking finger at me. "Clara! Have you completely lost your mind?! How dare you sneak into this gala wearing stolen jewelry! Security! Remove this temp immediately!"
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Arthur Vance stepped forward smoothly, his sharp baritone cutting through the silence like a guillotine blade.
"Silence, Mrs. Vance!" Arthur commanded, every word dropped like an iron weight into the room. "You are speaking to the Global Chairwoman and sole controlling owner of Sterling Investment Group!"
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