Chapter 12 - The Ghost of the Past
I stood at the top of the grand staircase overlooking the lobby. The room was dripping with diamonds, designer gowns, and billionaires drinking champagne. I wore a custom-tailored, backless crimson gown that swept the floor, a diamond necklace glittering at my throat.
Liam stood beside me, looking immaculate in a classic tuxedo. He offered me his arm. “Ready to make an entrance, Madam CEO?”
“Always,” I smiled, taking his arm.
As we descended the staircase, the room naturally quieted, heads turning in respect and admiration. I was no longer the hidden heir playing CEO in New York. I was the undisputed queen of the mountain, the woman who had single-handedly taken down a corporate raiding firm.
As we mingled with the guests, accepting congratulations and securing massive charity donations, my eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar face near the bar.
It was Chloe. Julian’s ex-fiancée.
She was wearing a silver dress, trying desperately to blend in with a group of wealthy socialites. Her family’s plastic fortune had allowed her to buy a ticket to the gala, but her reputation had taken a massive hit after the scandal. She looked anxious, her eyes darting around the room, desperate for validation.
I gently detached myself from Liam and walked slowly across the lobby toward the bar.
The crowd parted for me. Chloe saw me approaching, and the color instantly drained from her perfectly contoured face. She remembered the last time we stood in this exact spot. She remembered the cream cashmere sweater. She remembered laughing at me.
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She gripped her crystal champagne flute so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“Miss Sterling,” she stammered as I stopped in front of her. Her voice lacked all the arrogant venom it possessed a month ago. “I... it’s a beautiful gala.”
