Chapter 1 - The Disgrace At The Gala
Inside the grand formal hall, sunlight streamed through tall arched windows, illuminating polished marble floors and a massive American flag hanging gracefully in the background.
Seventy-one-year-old Charles Mercer, dressed in an expensive navy suit with a silver pocket square, stepped forward aggressively, his finger pointed inches from his daughter’s face.
Evelyn, forty, stood exhausted but steadfast in a dirty navy tactical flight suit, her hair messy and her helmet clutched tightly in her arm. Dried soot smeared her cheek, and fresh blood seeped through a tear on her sleeve.
"Look at yourself, Evelyn! You shame this family!" Charles shouted, his face red with fury in front of dozens of distinguished socialites.
Evelyn didn't back down. "I came straight from a rescue base."
"You couldn't bother to change? Looking at you is an embarrassment!" Charles sneered, waving a dismissive hand.
Her younger sister Amanda stepped forward in horror. "Dad, stop! She’s bleeding!"
"She walks into my event looking like this!" Charles roared, completely ignoring the blood on her arm.
Suddenly, a four-star military general walking into the hall froze dead in his tracks. Recognizing the flight gear, he stepped forward with profound, rigid respect.
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"Captain Evelyn Carter..." the General announced, his voice booming over the quiet crowd. "The Joint Chiefs are calling your name."
👉 Why were the highest-ranking military leaders in the country urgently trying to reach Captain Evelyn?
