Chapter 2: A Cold Inheritance
The gala blurred into a chaotic buzz. Elena retreated to the private observation deck, the cold glass pressing against her feverish forehead. The "Serpent’s Tear" felt heavy, a physical manifestation of the fortune she had inherited under terrifyingly nebulous circumstances. The man across the room, a ghost from the past she’d paid handsomely to keep buried, raised his champagne glass in a mocking toast. Elena knew that look—it was the look of a predator who’d just cornered his prey. The meticulously constructed world of Elena Vance wasn’t just cracking; it was about to shatter.
