flash
The sound of the ballroom’s heavy mahogany doors locking shut echoed like a gunshot. Three hundred guests turned to statues. Vanessa Cole’s face, previously a mask of perfect, rehearsed vulnerability, began to crack. Her breath hitched, not with the grace of a woman in love, but with the jagged, desperate inhale of a cornered animal. / Chapter 4 / 10

Chapter 4 - The Betrayal"You were supposed to be the perfect trophy," Alessandro muttered, looking at her with genuine disgust. "But you were a mole."

Suddenly, the lights flickered and died. Total darkness engulfed the room.

Panic ensued. Screams, the sound of breaking glass, bodies colliding in the dark. I grabbed Emma, shielding her head, and ducked under a heavy mahogany side table.

"Get her!" I heard Vanessa’s voice scream from the darkness. "Kill the maid! She knows too much!"

I heard the distinct click of a safety being released. A shot rang out, hitting the marble pillar inches from where I was hiding.

"Alessandro!" I cried out, terrified.

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"Stay down!" his voice barked from somewhere close.

Another shot. Then, the sound of a struggle. A grunt of pain. The smell of gun oil and ozone filled the air. My hands were shaking so hard I could barely hold my daughter. We were trapped in a war zone because I had opened my mouth to tell the truth.

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