A chill moved through me.
“What did he say?”
“He said tonight was about securing his son’s future.”
The room went silent.
I heard the quartet beyond the wall shift into another song.
Priya’s face had gone pale.
“Elena,” she said, “we need to go upstairs.”
The elevator ride felt endless.
Priya used her executive key card. Bianca came with us, though I was no longer sure whether she was witness, participant, or another person caught inside Adrian’s lies.
The mirrored walls reflected three women standing apart.
I looked composed.
That frightened me more than tears would have.
When the elevator doors opened, the upper corridor was empty. Thick carpet absorbed our footsteps. At the far end, two double doors led to the private reception room overlooking the ballroom.
Voices came from inside.
A woman was speaking.
“You told me she wasn’t coming.”
Adrian answered.
“She never attends company events.”
