Chapter 7
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The revelation struck the crowd like a physical blow. Elena Sterling. The notoriously private, fiercely intelligent co-founder of the Sterling Conglomerate, a woman who preferred the shadows to the spotlight. She had been wearing a waitress’s apron to help a struggling employee, and Cassandra Vance had assaulted her for a spilled drink.
Elena gently untied the white apron and let it fall to the floor over the shattered crystal. She pulled a pristine white handkerchief from the pocket of her black dress and dabbed the blood from her lip. She looked down at Cassandra, who was still sprawled on the marble floor, shaking uncontrollably as the red mark on her cheek darkened into a vicious bruise.
"My... my dress..." Cassandra stammered nonsensically, the reality of her situation completely breaking her mind.
"Your dress is the least of your concerns, Cassandra," Elena said, her voice smooth and chillingly calm. She stepped over the broken glass and walked to her husband's side.
Alexander immediately wrapped a protective arm around Elena’s waist, his thumb gently brushing her uninjured cheek. He looked at the blood on her handkerchief, and the fury in his eyes intensified until it was almost blinding.
"Where is Richard Vance?" Alexander demanded, his voice echoing through the silent pavilion. "Bring him to me. Now."
The crowd parted again as a sweaty, panicked man in a tuxedo was practically shoved forward by the surrounding guests. Richard Vance, Cassandra’s husband and the CEO of a mid-tier logistics company, looked as though he was about to vomit. He stared at his wife on the floor, then at the furious billionaire standing above her.
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"Mr. Sterling... Alexander, please," Richard begged, his hands raised in a pathetic gesture of surrender. "This is a massive misunderstanding. My wife... she had too much to drink. She didn't know who she was dealing with."
"It shouldn't matter who she was dealing with," Elena interjected sharply, staring Richard down. "Her cruelty wasn't an accident. It was her character."
