Chapter 1 - The Name Tag
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Sabine Voss’s gaze locked onto the small, brass-plated name tag pinned to Billy’s uniform.
B. Ror.
For half a second, the polished, aristocratic mask of the famous designer slipped. Her eyes widened, a flash of genuine, unadulterated shock crossing her perfectly contoured face. It was the look of a woman who had just seen a ghost walk into her multi-million dollar gala.
Billy saw it.
She kept her posture perfectly straight, her face a mask of professional, invisible servitude. She held the silver tray against her hip, waiting for the dismissal that usually followed a wine pour.
Sabine recovered quickly. The shock mutated instantly into a cold, terrifying fury. She reached for the wine glass Billy had just poured.
She didn't drink from it.
Instead, Sabine stood up slowly, her reverse-beaded gown catching the newly adjusted, perfect lighting. She held the crystal stem between her manicured fingers.
"You," Sabine said, her voice dropping into a harsh, carrying whisper.
Billy didn't speak. Gideon Puit’s first rule echoed in her mind. Never look guests directly in the face. Never speak unless spoken to.
Sabine took a step toward her. The cameras, sensing the sudden shift in gravity at the head table, pivoted simultaneously. The red recording lights glowed like tiny, predatory eyes in the dim ballroom.
"What is your full name?" Sabine demanded.
"Billy Ror, ma'am," Billy replied softly, keeping her eyes fixed on the tablecloth.
"Who hired you?"
"I applied through the standard hotel portal, ma'am."
Sabine’s knuckles turned white around the stem of the wine glass. She knew the name. She knew the face. And she knew exactly what this girl represented.
"You think you're very clever, don't you?" Sabine sneered, stepping entirely out from behind her chair.
The conversation around the head table died. Three hundred guests slowly turned their heads, drawn by the escalating tension.
"I am just serving the wine, ma'am," Billy said, her voice remaining impossibly steady.
"You are a pathetic, desperate little thief," Sabine hissed.
And then, before Billy could even register the movement, Sabine brought the glass down.
May you like
The dark red wine exploded across Billy’s chest, running through her hair, over her cheek, and soaking the crisp white collar of her uniform.
The glass slipped from Sabine’s hand, shattering violently against the stone floor.
