Chapter 5: The Gala Invitation
The progress bar flashed 98%... 99%... Complete.
I yanked the thumb drive from the laptop port, shoved it deep into the pocket of my trousers, and snapped the laptop shut just as heavy footsteps started up the curved staircase. I scrambled to my feet, tossing the external hard drive back into Adrian's briefcase in the foyer just as he reached the landing.
Adrian appeared at the bathroom door, loosening his silk tie. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at me, taking in my flushed face and the slight tremor in my hands.
"What were you doing in the dark?" he asked, his voice low and even.
"I had a migraine," I said, forcing my voice to remain steady, drawing on a reservoir of adrenaline I didn't know I possessed. I looked him straight in the eye—something I hadn't dared to do in months. "The lights hurt my eyes."
Adrian studied me for a long, tense moment, searching for any sign of defiance. When he found only flat, exhausted compliance, a faint, condescending smirk touched the corner of his mouth.
"Take a painkiller and get dressed," he said, turning away toward the bedroom. "The annual Metropolitan Foundation Gala is tonight. The mayor will be there, and every major investor from the East Coast. You will wear the emerald silk dress. You will smile, you will stand by my side, and you will remind everyone why we are the picture of modern success."
"Yes, Adrian," I whispered.
May you like
As he walked down the hall, I pulled the small thumb drive from my pocket and pressed it hard against my palm until the plastic edges bit into my skin. Tonight was the foundation gala. Hundreds of people, flashing cameras, police detail at the doors, and the eyes of the city fixed entirely upon us. It was the most public place on earth—and the only place where Adrian’s iron grip couldn't entirely close around my throat without an audience.
I walked into the nursery, kissed Leo's sleeping forehead, and whispered into the quiet dark. "Wait for me, baby. Tonight, the world is going to see what happens behind the glass."
