Chapter 4 - The Gala of the CenturyThe Grand Charleston Ballroom was a dazzling spectacle of crystal chandeliers, flowing champagne, and high-society arrogance.
Two hundred of the nation’s wealthiest elites milled about in designer tuxedos and glittering diamonds. At the center of the VIP dais sat Celeste Ashbourne, draped in emerald silk, sipping champagne and laughing brightly alongside her brother, Lord Richard Ashbourne—who had flown in from Europe specifically for the weekend—and her son, Leo, who stood nearby looking pale and tense.
Celeste spotted me near the entrance and her smile froze.
I wasn't wearing my usual flour-dusted apron or simple cotton dress.
I walked down the grand marble staircase wearing a custom-tailored, midnight-blue velvet evening gown that shimmered like starlight, its high neck framing my collarbone. But it wasn't the dress that made the room fall dead silent; it was the thick, braided silver-and-sapphire bracelet gleaming proudly on my left wrist under the spotlight.
Celeste gasped, her champagne flute slipping from her fingers and shattering against the marble floor.
Lord Richard Ashbourne turned sharply, his face draining of all color as his eyes locked onto my face—and then onto the royal crest etched into my bracelet.
“Who invited that... that commoner?!” Celeste shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at me as security guards rushed forward.
“Mother, stop!” Leo shouted, stepping directly between the guards and me. He turned to me, his eyes wide with shock. “Onyinye... what is this?”
May you like
I didn't answer Leo immediately. I walked past the frozen guards with the absolute, unshakeable grace of someone born to command rooms twice this size.
I stopped ten feet away from Celeste and Richard Ashbourne.
