Chapter 9 - The Anniversary Gala
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The Grand Pacific Hotel ballroom was a sea of crystal, silk, and hypocrisy.
The annual Caldwell Development gala was the social event of the season in San Diego. Mayors, city council members, defense contractors, and journalists mingled under massive chandeliers, drinking thousand-dollar champagne.
Lena made her entrance on Grant’s arm. She wore a breathtaking, deep crimson gown that swept the floor, but the slit on the side clearly displayed the sleek, carbon-fiber brace gripping her right leg.
The room went completely quiet as they walked in.
Whispers hissed through the crowd like snakes in tall grass. There she is. The brave wife. I heard she fell down a flight of stairs. He looks so devoted.
Grant leaned in, kissing her cheek for the flashing cameras of the local press. "You look beautiful, darling. Play the part tonight, and I promise, I'll buy you that villa in Tuscany you always wanted."
Lena smiled up at him, her eyes dead. "I'm going to give them a night they will never forget, Grant."
Across the room, standing near the towering champagne fountain, was Veronica Pike.
She wore a skin-tight white dress, dripping in diamonds purchased with Caldwell money. Her father, a prominent political lobbyist, was shaking hands with a senator nearby. Veronica locked eyes with Lena, her lips curving into a smug, victorious smirk.
Lena didn't look away. She wheeled her chair directly across the crowded ballroom, parting the sea of wealthy elites until she stopped inches from Veronica.
"I didn't think you’d have the nerve to show your face," Veronica sneered, keeping her voice low so the nearby reporters wouldn't hear. "Playing the pathetic cripple for sympathy?"
Lena looked up at the woman who had once held her hair while she cried in college.
"I'm not playing anything, Veronica," Lena said, her voice perfectly calm, chillingly serene. "I just wanted to make sure you had a front-row seat."
May you like
Before Veronica could process the threat, the massive crystal chandeliers above them dimmed to pitch black.
The gala was about to begin.
