Chapter 17
No.1
The steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art were bathed in the blinding light of a hundred camera flashes.
A line of black luxury cars stretched down Fifth Avenue. The red carpet was packed with New York's elite.
A sleek black Aethel corporate van pulled up to the VIP side entrance, far away from the chaotic main carpet.
Elisa stepped out.
She was wearing a custom, deep-space blue velvet gown Jewel had procured for her. The fabric was heavy and luxurious. The long, tailored sleeves perfectly concealed the thick bandage on her right arm. The dress hugged her curves, projecting an aura of cold, untouchable elegance.
Around her neck hung a simple black lanyard with an Aethel corporate badge. It read: Technical Advisor.
She walked toward the side entrance.
Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted near the edge of the main red carpet.
No.2
Elisa paused in the shadows of a massive stone pillar.
Allena was standing in the center of a media frenzy.
She was wearing an obnoxiously massive white gown covered in Swarovski crystals. It looked more like a wedding dress than a gala outfit.
Reporters were shoving microphones in her face.
"Dr. Mills! Is it true you broke off your engagement to Julian Hastings because of his neglect?" a reporter shouted.
Allena placed a delicate hand over her chest. She offered the cameras a practiced, tragic smile.
"I just want to focus on saving lives," Allena said,her voice breathy and sweet. "I am so grateful to have people in my life who protect me when I'm vulnerable."
Elisa stood in the shadows, her stomach turning.The hypocrisy was nauseating.
No.3
Allena turned her head to pose for another camera.Her eyes swept over the dark VIP entrance.
She froze.
Allena spotted the deep blue velvet. She saw Elisa's face. The tragic, sweet smile instantly vanished, replaced by a flash of pure, venomous panic.
Allena quickly whispered to a massive bodyguard standing nearby. The bodyguard aggressively shoved the reporters aside, clearing a path.
Allena marched off the red carpet, heading straight for the shadows where Elisa stood.
"What are you doing here?" Allena hissed, her
voice dropping its sweet pitch. She looked Elisa up and down, her eyes lingering on the Aethel badge.Allena let out a cruel, mocking laugh.
"A technical advisor?" Allena sneered. "Did August cut off your credit cards so fast you had to find a sugar daddy at a tech company to sneak you in?"
No.4
Elisa didn't blink. She looked at Allena's pale neck,then down at her stomach.
"You recovered from that ruptured cyst remarkably fast," Elisa said, her voice smooth and deadly."Most women need a week of bed rest after bleeding that much from taking a man too hard."
Allena's face drained of all color. Her mouth opened in shock.
She raised her hand, her fingers curling into claws,ready to strike Elisa's face.
A low, powerful engine roar cut through the noise.
August's signature Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up directly to the base of the red carpet.
The reporters went wild.
Allena instantly dropped her hand. Her face morphed back into a mask of fragile innocence.She turned and practically sprinted toward the Rolls-Royce.
No.5
August stepped out of the car. He wore a flawless,custom-tailored tuxedo. He radiated absolute power and control.
Allena threw herself against his side, wrapping both
her arms tightly around his bicep. She pressed her chest against his arm, looking up at him with wide,frightened eyes.
August looked down at her. "Are the reporters bothering you?" he asked, his voice protective.
Allena shook her head, but she deliberately cast a terrified glance toward the shadows by the side door.
August's eyes followed her gaze.
He saw Elisa.
For a fraction of a second, August's breath caught.The deep blue velvet, the sharp haircut, the cold,regal posture-she looked stunning.
No.6
But then his eyes dropped to the cheap plastic Aethel badge hanging around her neck.
His expression instantly hardened into pure,unadulterated disgust.
He assumed she had begged or slept her way into a low-level corporate job just to stalk him at this event. It was pathetic.
August wrapped his arm tightly around Allena's waist.
He looked directly into Elisa's eyes.
Deliberately, slowly, August leaned down and pressed a long, intimate kiss against Allena's forehead.
The paparazzi cameras exploded in a frenzy of flashes.It was the ultimate public declaration. He
was claiming his cousin's ex-fiancée right in front of his wife.
No.7
August pulled back. He shot Elisa a look of absolute triumph, expecting to see her crumble,expecting to see tears.
Elisa just stared at him.
Her face was completely blank. Her heart didn't speed up. Her stomach didn't drop. She felt absolutely nothing.
She looked at August the same way she would look at a stranger on the subway.
She turned around, pushed open the heavy glass door of the museum, and walked inside.
August stood on the red carpet. The triumph in his chest vanished,replaced by a sudden, hollow ache.Her empty eyes had felt worse than a scream.