Chapter 265

No.1

Elisa handed her gold-embossed invitation to the massive security guard at the entrance. He scanned the barcode, nodded sharply, and pulled the heavy oak doors open.

Elisa stepped into the grand ballroom. The sheer scale of the room was suffocating. Thousands of crystal prisms hung from the vaulted ceiling,casting a blinding, white light over the sea of guests.

A string quartet played in the corner, their music barely cutting through the loud, arrogant chatter of New York's financial elite.

The moment Elisa walked in, a ripple of silence spread outward from the door. Eyes locked onto her midnight blue velvet gown. The contrast of her pale skin and the massive blue diamonds on her chest commanded absolute attention.

Elisa kept her face completely blank. She scanned the crowded room, looking for August's tall frame.

No.2

Her eyes stopped moving. Her gaze locked onto the center of the room, right next to a towering champagne pyramid.

August stood there. He wore a flawless black tuxedo.

But it was the woman clinging to his arm that made

the blood in Elisa's veins turn to ice.

Allena Mills wore a violently bright red gown with a plunging neckline. She pressed her breasts firmly against August's bicep. She leaned up, whispering something into his ear.

No.3

August did not push her away. He looked down at Allena, a tight, practiced smile playing on his lips.Though he internally recoiled at her cloying desperation, she was, for now, a necessary asset to project stability to the investors.②

A group of wealthy investors stood around them,raising their crystal glasses in a toast to the happy couple.

A wave of pure, biological nausea hit Elisa's stomach. Acid burned the back of her throat. She swallowed hard, forcing the bile down.

This was his game. He had blackmailed his legal wife into attending a family event, only to publicly parade his mistress in front of the entire city. It was the ultimate, calculated execution of her dignity.

A few feet away, three older women in heavy pearls noticed Elisa. They leaned their heads together, their eyes darting toward her with naked pity and vicious amusement.

No.4

Elisa forced her lungs to expand. She refused to give them a reaction. She turned her back on the crowd and walked straight to the mahogany bar in the corner.

"Soda water. Ice," Elisa ordered. Her voice was

steady.

Across the room, Allena turned her head. Her eyes scanned the perimeter and locked onto Elisa standing alone at the bar.

A sickeningly triumphant smirk stretched across Allena's face. She deliberately shifted her weight,pressing her body even tighter against August's side.

No.5

August followed Allena's line of sight. He saw Elisa standing in the shadows.

For a fraction of a second, a complicated shadow crossed August's dark eyes. His jaw twitched. But he did not drop Allena's hand. He simply looked away,choosing to completely erase his wife's existence.

Allena tugged on August's sleeve. She pointed toward the front of the ballroom.

Harrison Browning, the eighty-year-old patriarch,sat in a custom leather wheelchair at the head table. He was receiving guests like a king on a throne.

Elisa gripped her cold glass of soda water. The condensation dripped onto her fingers. She watched Allena drag August toward the old man.

No.6

Elisa knew exactly what the mistress was doing.Allena wanted to use the most powerful man in the room to legitimize her stolen position.

Elisa stayed in the shadows. Her eyes narrowed into sharp, calculating slits. She took a sip of the

freezing water and waited for the imposter to self -destruct.

Allena stopped in front of Harrison's wheelchair.She plastered a wide, overly enthusiastic smile on her face, preparing to deliver the performance of her life.

Harrison slowly lifted his heavy eyelids. HHis sharp,predatory eyes locked onto the woman in the red dress.

No.7

The surrounding guests fell silent, eager to watch the interaction. Elisa did not blink.