Chapter 15 - Served at the Gala
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Despite her life crumbling around her, Vivian Mercer was determined to maintain her public image until the very end.
Two weeks after the incident, the annual Symphony Guild Charity Gala took place at the city’s grandest hotel ballroom. It was the premier event of the autumn social calendar—the exact place where Vivian had reigned supreme for over two decades.
Vivian spent her remaining cash reserves to rent a vintage gown and hired a private town car to drop her off at the red carpet. She walked into the glittering ballroom with her head held high, plastering a fake, brilliant smile across her face as she approached her usual circle of wealthy acquaintances.
But the moment she stepped near the champagne bar, the room went cold.
Whispers broke out like wildfire. The women who used to flatter her suddenly turned their backs, sipping their drinks and giggling quietly behind their silk gloves.
"Is that Vivian?" one socialite whispered loudly. "I heard her car was towed right out of her driveway!"
"I heard her daughter-in-law was the one paying for her country club dues!" another chimed in.
Vivian’s face flushed red, but before she could retreat toward the exit, a burly man in a plain grey suit stepped directly into her path.
"Vivian Mercer?" the man asked loudly.
"Yes?" she stammered, looking around frantically. "Who are you?"
The man pulled a thick white envelope from his coat pocket and handed it directly to her in front of fifty prominent high-society guests.
"You've been served with a criminal summons for misdemeanor battery, as well as a civil lawsuit for financial fraud filed by Emma Miller," the process server announced clearly.
May you like
The entire ballroom went dead silent.
Vivian dropped the envelope as if it were on fire. She looked around at the staring crowd, her face pale, her mask of luxury completely shattered into pieces.
