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 5 / 10

Chapter 5 - The Red RoomThe emergency lights flickered on, bathing the room in a sickly, crimson hue.

Alessandro stood in the center of the room, holding the ledger in one hand and a silenced pistol in the other. Vanessa was gone. The secret service agents were swarming the room.

"Where is she?" Alessandro demanded.

"She went through the terrace door, sir!" one of the guards shouted.

Alessandro turned to me. His eyes were no longer cold—they were burning. "Take your daughter and get to the panic room. My men will escort you. Do not trust anyone who isn't wearing a silver pin."

"What about you?" I asked.

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