Chapter 4 - Frozen in the Spotlight
A collective gasp rippled through the spectators lining the grand staircase.
Grant’s smile twitched, turning into a mask of pure terror. He tried to laugh it off, turning his palms out toward the crowd. "Mr. Vale, please, you misunderstand. This is a private matter. Claire is an ex-employee who has been harassing me since the buyout. She crashed tonight's event without an invitation just to make a scene."
"Is that so?" Roman asked, his tone deadpan, almost bored, yet laced with lethal menace.
Claire remained on the marble floor. She didn't weep. She didn't beg. She simply straightened her spine, her blue eyes blazing with a fierce, quiet defiance that refused to break.
Roman took one more step forward, stopping directly beside Claire. He slowly reached down and adjusted the cuff of his dark suit jacket. In the warm candlelight of the chandelier, a polished silver cuff link caught the light—a raven clutching a dagger.
Identical to the one Claire held clenched in her fist.
Grant didn't notice the matching jewelry. He was too busy sweating through his tuxedo, his mind scrambling to save face in front of the investors he needed to impress.
"I swear to you, Mr. Vale," Grant rushed on, his words tumbling out in a panicked rush. "She has no standing here. She's nobody! Security will remove her immediately so we can proceed with our partnership contract. Vale Meridian is set to buy forty percent of my firm tonight—"
"I know who you are, Holloway," Roman interrupted quietly, his eyes locking onto Grant’s with such terrifying weight that Grant visibly shrank. "And I know exactly what you are trying to hide."
The silence in the room became suffocating. Grant took half a step backward, looking frantically toward the double mahogany doors.
Behind him, two of Roman’s bodyguards stepped forward, their massive frames completely blocking the exit.
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👉 What dirty secret was Grant hiding that Roman Vale already uncovered?
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