Verification
Author: Evie Penheart
last update2025-09-23 15:28:46

Chapter Ten

The hall was still buzzing from the shock of the verification when Lucas Brown leaned in toward Catherine Moretti, his smirk slick with venom.

“Catherine,” he said in a tone just loud enough for the surrounding guests to hear, “don’t let him drag you into his mess. You should distance yourself now before he implicates you further. That man is a lowlife, a street dog. Everyone here knows it. He’s not worthy of being seen with you.”

The insult drew a ripple of laughter from a few guests eager to side with Lucas. Some nodded, whispering to each other as if his words carried weight.

But Catherine’s glass paused midair. Slowly, she turned her head toward him, her expression cool, her gaze razor sharp.

“If anyone here should be ashamed,” she said icily, “it’s you, Lucas Brown. A man whose only weapon is his mouth. You do nothing but rant and hurl insults, hoping someone will mistake noise for power.”

Her voice carried, clear and deliberate, silencing a portion of the crowd. A fl
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