Emma let out a slow breath through her nose, the kind that comes after someone has been holding themselves very still for too long.The hall hummed around them. The guests had largely moved on from the spectacle at the door and returned to what they had actually come for, the champagne and the connections and the careful dance of people positioning themselves near power. Plates clinked softly. The band shifted into something mellow and warm. Conversations overlapped at a comfortable volume.Vivian stood in front of Emma with her wine glass and her satisfaction and the lingering echo of everything she had just delivered. Ashley hovered at her shoulder like a sentinel, her arms crossed, her expression sharp and watchful.Emma looked at Vivian directly."What do you gain from saying all that?" Emma's voice was quiet but steady, the trembling from earlier completely gone now.Ashley's head snapped toward her immediately, her eyes narrowing into something hard and pointed. She took half a s

The moment Emma and Logan turned away, Vivian's smile collapsed.It didn't fade. It didn't soften. It simply dropped from her face like something held up by strings that had been cut, leaving behind an expression that was flat and hard and deeply unsatisfied.She had planned for tears. She had planned for a trembling voice and a red face and the satisfying crack of someone who had been broken in public. She had rehearsed the words she would deliver afterward, the gracious, magnanimous lines about not holding grudges, the performance of mercy that would make everyone in the room admire her even more.None of that had happened.Emma had stood there and absorbed everything, every word about wasted years and worthless men and termites in the foundation, and then she had looked at Vivian with those steady, quiet eyes and said she was happy for her.Happy for her.Vivian's jaw tightened until the muscles ached.Ashley appeared at her shoulder almost instantly, reading the shift in Vivian's p

The gift table near the stage had become a mountain. Luxury watches in velvet cases sat stacked beside designer handbags, bottles of vintage wine, and jewelry boxes that glittered under the chandelier lights.Every few minutes, another guest approached with something wrapped in gold or silver paper, each one more expensive than the last. Vivian stood at the center of it all, her red dress catching the light, her smile so wide it looked painted on.For the first time in her life, she felt untouchable.A young man in a tailored navy suit walked up to her, extending a long rectangular box. His family owned three hotels in the business district, and his handshake was the kind that came with a business card already tucked between his fingers."Miss Chase, this is a small token from the Whitfield family." He opened the box to reveal a diamond bracelet. "We've been looking for the right partner in the hospitality space. Perhaps we could schedule a meeting next week?"Vivian took the bracelet,

Ashley didn't bother walking over to Emma and Logan. She didn't need to. The entire point was to make sure everyone else in the room heard her instead.She positioned herself near a cluster of guests who were admiring Vivian's gift table, raised her champagne glass, and let her voice carry like a bell across the hall."You know, it really is sad when you think about it." She glanced toward the back of the room where Emma and Logan stood. "While some people are receiving blessings and admiration from the entire city, others can only stand in a dark corner watching it all happen. Like stray mutts pressing their noses against a restaurant window."Several heads turned in her direction.Ashley smiled wider, feeding on the attention. "I mean, look at them. Just standing there. Doing nothing. Contributing nothing. At least a fly on the wall has wings. Those two don't even have that."A woman near the gift table covered her mouth and laughed.Trevor materialized beside Ashley like he had been

Emma stared at Logan, waiting for an answer that made sense. Something concrete. Something she could hold onto while the entire room treated her like garbage scraped off the bottom of a shoe.Logan picked up his own glass and took a slow sip, his expression unchanged. "Good things are worth waiting for, Emma. The best ones always take a little longer to arrive.""That's not an answer." Emma's jaw tightened, frustration and curiosity fighting for space behind her eyes."It's the only one I have right now.""You're impossible." She turned away from him, shaking her head. "You drag me to a party where people compare me to insects, and your advice is to be patient.""My advice is to watch carefully." Logan set his glass down on the nearest table. "Because the people laughing loudest are always the ones who cry the hardest."Emma opened her mouth to argue, but across the hall, Ashley's voice sliced through the noise again.Ashley had gathered a fresh audience near the champagne station. Thr