Chapter 8 - The Ballroom Gladiators
The Grand Azure Ballroom was a deafening symphony of clinking crystal flutes, hushed laughter, and string quartet music echoing off towering marble pillars. Every pair of eyes in the room seemed to lock onto the double doors the moment Vincent and I stepped across the threshold.
I kept my spine straight, my chin lifted, matching Romano’s unhurried, predatory stride as we moved toward the center of the room. Photographers from the local society columns lingered near the edges, their camera shutters clicking like angry insects in the dim, atmospheric lighting.
"Keep close," Romano murmured under his breath, his hand resting securely at the small of my back. "Marcus Vance is standing by the fountain to our left. He brought an audience."
Sure enough, as we navigated the sea of tailored tuxedos and glittering sequined gowns, a tall, silver-haired man with sharp, predatory features stepped directly into our path. Marcus Vance wore an expensive bespoke suit and a thin, condescending smile that didn't reach his cold blue eyes.
"Vincent," Vance drawled, swirling amber liquid in a crystal tumbler. "I heard rumors that you’d taken a sudden trip down the aisle, but I assumed it was just market gossip. I didn't realize our city's most elusive bachelor had been roped so quickly."
Vance’s gaze shifted to me, dripping with calculated disrespect as he looked over my midnight-blue velvet gown. "And who do we have here? A charming acquisition. Did you pick her up at a charity auction, or is this another one of your elaborate corporate restructuring plays?"
The ambient noise around us seemed to drop away. Several nearby guests turned their heads, holding their breath to watch the exchange. A familiar heat flared in my chest—not the blind panic of the diner floor, but a sharp, biting anger.
Before Romano could step forward, I tilted my head and met Vance’s condescending stare with a cool, unblinking smile of my own.
"It’s funny you mention acquisitions, Mr. Vance," I said, my voice carrying clearly across the quiet circle of onlookers. "Usually, people only resort to buying off shell companies and funding fraudulent custody claims when they’re terrified of losing a fair fight. But I suppose desperation looks different on everyone."
Vance’s smug smile faltered instantly, his jaw tightening as a flush crept up his neck. A few nearby socialites muffled gasps behind their champagne flutes.
Romano let out a low, approving rumble beside me, his gaze gleaming with undisguised pride. He stepped half an inch closer, sandwiching Vance between our united front.
May you like
"My wife speaks the truth, Marcus," Romano added, his voice smooth and lethally calm. "And if your associates attempt to serve another fraudulent writ to my doorstep, we won't be discussing it at a charity gala. We’ll be discussing it in front of a federal grand jury. Enjoy your evening."
Without waiting for Vance to stammer a reply, Romano gently guided me past him toward the VIP terrace doors, leaving the developer standing alone in a widening circle of uncomfortable silence.
