Chapter 4 - Public ExecutionThe crimson stain of spilled champagne spread across the white marble floor near the bar, matching the sudden flush of blood rushing to Grant Callaway's face.
He pushed past a group of startled hedge-fund managers, his eyes wide with absolute disbelief. Claudia Voss was right behind him, her designer smile faltering as she stared at the woman she had so publicly humiliated just two nights ago.
"Evelyn?" Grant's voice cracked slightly, the composure he had practiced so carefully in boardrooms completely fracturing. "What... what are you doing here? And why are you with—"
He stopped dead as his gaze shifted from Evelyn to the tall, imposing figure standing beside her. Roman Callaway's expression was as cold and impassable as a granite cliff.
"Father," Grant stammered, stepping forward. "I didn't know you were coming. And... and Evelyn? Security must have made a mistake at the door. This is a private event for—"
"Quiet, boy," Roman interrupted, his voice cutting through the ambient noise of the ballroom like a scalpel. "You always did talk too much when you were nervous."
"Father, please, this is embarrassing," Claudia chimed in, stepping up beside Grant and flashing a tight, brittle smile. "I'm sure Miss Carter was invited by mistake, or perhaps she's working security tonight? Though that dress is hardly regulation uniform..."
Laughter rippled through a few nearby guests, eager to stay on the good side of the rising Callaway-Voss alliance.
Evelyn didn't blink. She stepped forward, the diamond necklace around her neck catching the chandelier light and casting blinding reflections across Claudia's face.
"Mistake, Claudia?" Evelyn's voice was honeyed steel, crystal-clear in the quiet room. "Not at all. Mr. Callaway and I received a very special invitation. After all, family events require the presence of the head of the household."
Grant’s eyes darted wildly between them. "Family? What are you talking about, Evelyn? Have you lost your mind? You're dating my father?"
"Dating?" Roman stepped forward, placing a heavy, possessive hand on the small of Evelyn's back. "Grant, your lack of business acumen is appalling, but I thought your reading comprehension was at least at a primary school level. Let me spell it out for you."
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Roman swept his gaze across the silent, captivated crowd of elites, media moguls, and reporters who had quietly whipped out their smartphones to record every second.
"Evelyn Carter is no longer your discarded fiancée, Grant. As of ten o'clock this morning, she is my legal wife, the majority voting shareholder of Callaway Holdings, and your new stepmother."
