Chapter 6 - The Setup|
The night of the engagement party arrived under a heavy downpour pounding against the ballroom windows. Three hundred high-society guests filled the hall, sipping vintage champagne.
Naomi moved through the crowd with a silver tray, invisible yet fully alert. Her old tactical training automatically mapped the room: four private security guards near the exits—untrained, sluggish, relying purely on size—and two secondary emergency exits behind the velvet curtains.
Near the orchestra, Vanessa stood surrounded by four high-society friends. She was holding a champagne glass when she spotted Naomi walking past.
With a deliberate shift of her heel, Vanessa backed up sharply, slamming her elbow straight into Naomi’s passing tray. Champagne splashed over the hem of Vanessa’s silver designer gown.
The surrounding chatter withered instantly.
"You clumsy, worthless fool!" Vanessa shrieked loudly, her voice echoing over the string quartet.
The entire ballroom turned to look.
Naomi set the tray calmly on a nearby table. "The glass was balanced until you stepped backward into it, Miss Sterling."
"Are you talking back to me?" Vanessa’s face twisted in rage. She raised her right hand, aiming a vicious slap straight at Naomi’s face.
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That was when the maid caught her wrist.
And that was when Vanessa ended up sprawling on the marble floor among shattered glass and crushed roses.
