Chapter 3 - The Four-Star Salute
Brooke spun around, her face flushing with hot, indignant embarrassment as she watched Colonel Mercer bypass every single billionaire and politician in the room.
The stern military commander marched directly toward the head table. He didn't stop in front of the mayor. He didn't stop in front of Julian.
He stopped directly in front of the elegant woman in the one-shoulder emerald green evening gown.
Colonel Mercer brought his polished black boots together with a sharp, deafening crack that echoed off the high ceilings. He stood at rigid, absolute attention. With a swift, razor-sharp motion, the veteran commander raised his hand in a flawless, formal military salute.
"General Reed," Colonel Mercer announced, his voice vibrating with profound, unwavering respect.
The entire dining hall seemed to stop breathing.
Brooke’s jaw physically dropped. Her arrogant smile vanished entirely, replaced by a look of sheer, suffocating horror. The woman she had just mocked, the woman she had just handed a blank place card and told not to speak, was a four-star military general.
General Reed didn't flinch. The cinematic realism of her calm, absolute authority was mesmerizing. She remained seated, gently placing her water glass down on the white tablecloth.
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"At ease, Colonel," General Reed said, her voice smooth but carrying the lethal weight of an apex predator.
👉 Brooke realized she had just insulted the most powerful person in the room, but the Colonel wasn't there for pleasantries.
