Chapter 4 - The Question That Stopped the Room
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Adrien Moretti entered the ballroom with his lead attorney and a three-man investment team trailing behind him like a shadow. He wore a bespoke midnight-blue suit that somehow made the other billionaires in the room look like they were wearing cheap rentals. The aura of danger around him was palpable; he was a man who legally owned half the city and illegally controlled the rest.
He acknowledged Richard’s frantic wave with a single, curt nod, then looked toward the empty chair at the main family table.
His dark, calculating gaze moved methodically across the sprawling ballroom. He bypassed the socialites trying to catch his eye. He ignored the politicians raising their glasses.
His eyes found Norah, sitting on a metal folding chair next to a busboy.
Adrien stopped walking.
He set down the crystal flute of champagne someone had blindly offered him onto a passing tray without looking. Then, ignoring the Bennett family entirely, he began walking directly toward the swinging kitchen doors.
The silence in the room became absolute. The only sound was the heavy, rhythmic thud of Adrien’s leather shoes against the marble floor. By the time he reached her, every single one of the two hundred guests was watching.
He looked down at the metal folding chair. He looked at the lack of flowers, the lack of a proper place setting, and the swinging door that just bumped against Norah’s shoulder.
Then, Adrien turned his head slowly toward the center of the room, locking eyes with Celeste Bennett, who was rushing over with Richard in tow.
“Celeste,” Adrien’s voice was a low, terrifying rumble that carried perfectly in the dead-quiet room. “Why is the woman I love sitting here?”
Celeste froze mid-step, her stiletto catching on the rug. “I… I’m sorry, Mr. Moretti? The woman you…?”
May you like
Adrien reached down, gently taking Norah’s hand, lacing his fingers through hers. He kissed her knuckles, his eyes never leaving her mother’s terrified face.
“My Norah,” Adrien said coldly. “Why is she sitting with the help?”
