Chapter 3 - The Wait
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Dinner began in a flurry of silver trays and synchronized service. The kitchen doors swung heavily behind Norah’s shoulder, releasing bursts of intense heat, the smell of roasted garlic, and the harsh, shouted instructions of the executive chef. It was a chaotic, hot corner of the room, a stark contrast to the cool, refined elegance of the main floor.
At the family table forty feet away, Vanessa leaned against Ethan beneath a photographer’s soft light, smiling perfectly as the flashes went off.
At the table next to Norah, two men in tailored suits discussed the failing Bennett Luxury Group.
“Richard is drowning,” the first man muttered, cutting his steak. “The stalled developments in Dubai bled them dry. If Moretti signs the acquisition papers tonight, they survive.”
“And if he doesn’t?” the second man asked.
Neither answered. The silence was heavier than the clinking of crystal glasses.
Norah kept her eyes on her untouched plate. Her phone vibrated sharply against her thigh beneath the table. She pulled it out, shielding the screen.
Adrien: Arriving at nine.
A second message followed almost immediately.
Adrien: Your sister knew I was invited. Correct?
Norah stared at the glowing screen, her heart doing a familiar, dangerous flutter. She had kept eleven months of her life completely separate from this toxic family. She had believed that separation protected something beautiful, something worth keeping untainted by her mother’s greed and her sister’s vanity.
Before she could type a reply, the string quartet abruptly stopped playing in the middle of a measure.
May you like
Bright headlights crossed the massive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the driveway. Richard Bennett stood up so abruptly that his linen napkin fell to the floor. Celeste’s expression instantly transformed into the brilliant, desperate smile she reserved strictly for people who could save her from ruin.
Adrien Moretti had arrived.
