CHAPTER 1: TROPHY WIFE FROM THE SLUMPS

Vespera's POV 

"Stop fidgeting, Vespera," Everett’s voice cut through the air, smooth as glass and twice as sharp. He didn't even turn his head to look at me as he swirled the golden amber liquid in his crystal glass. 

"You’re drawing attention. And frankly, your anxiety is pathetic."

Standing under the blinding crystal chandeliers of the Wall Street ballroom, surrounded by towering marble pillars and the dull roar of Manhattan’s, I couldn't breathe.

I adjusted my earring with a hand that wouldn't stop shaking.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat, forcing my spine straight. 

"I’m just nervous, Everett. There are over five hundred people here, and half the press in New York is taking pictures."

"They’re taking pictures of me," he corrected coldly, taking a slow sip of his whiskey. 

"You’re just the ornament on my arm. A very expensive one, I might add, though no amount of silk seems to hide where you truly came from."

His words hit me right in the chest, a quiet blow that left me breathless. Six months. I had been married to Everett Kane for six short months, and every single day felt like slipping further into a dark, bottomless well.

When he first entered my life, I thought he was my miracle. After years of growing up in state care, surviving on cracked floorboards and cheap canned soup alongside my foster sister Maren, Everett had seemed like a dream. He was handsome, wealthy, and promised me safety. I thought I had finally found a home.

I was so foolish.

"Why did you say that?" I whispered, my eyes stinging as I stared at his perfect side profile. "Why do you always have to say things that hurt me?"

Everett let out a quiet, mocking laugh, finally turning his icy blue eyes toward mine. There wasn't a single drop of warmth in them. 

"Hurt you? Vespera, I gave you a name. I gave you a roof that doesn't leak and clothes that cost more than your father made in a lifetime. The least you can do is stand still, shut your mouth, and pretend you belong here."

"I try, Everett," I said, my voice barely audible over the clinking champagne flutes around us. "I do everything you ask. I study the corporate files, I learn the names of your board members, I try to be a good wife—"

"A good wife?" He stepped closer, his shadow completely blotting out the warm chandelier light above us.

 "A good wife doesn't look like a nervous stray dog every time a camera flashes. Look at yourself. You're practically trembling. It's embarrassing."

Before I could reply, a wealthy senior investor in a tailored tuxedo strolled up to us, holding a glass of wine.

"Everett, my boy!" the older man boomed, clapping Everett on the shoulder. "Incredible turnout tonight. Kane Enterprises is looking stronger than ever."

In a fraction of a second, Everett’s face transformed. The cold sneer vanished, replaced by a radiant, charming smile that could fool the entire world.

"Thank you, Arthur," Everett said smoothly, slipping his arm around my waist and pulling me tight against his side. His grip was so hard it bruised my ribs through the fabric. 

"We couldn't be happier with the quarter's results. And of course, my lovely wife Vespera keeps me grounded through it all."

"Ah, yes! Beautiful as always, my dear," A warm, genuine smile plastered on his lips as he turned his attention to me.My face quickly morphed into a smile.

“ Thanks for the compliment Mr. Anderson.” I replied.

“Everett is a lucky man."

"I certainly am," Everett murmured, pressing a soft, fake kiss against my temple. To anyone watching, it was a moment of pure high-society romance. But against my skin, his breath felt like ice. "She's my little charity project made good."

My stomach churned. I forced a stiff, practiced smile onto my lips until Arthur nodded and drifted back into the crowd.

The moment the man was out of earshot, Everett dropped his arm from my waist as if touching me burned him. The charming smile vanished without a trace.

"Everett, please," I begged softly, clutching my evening clutch to my chest like a shield.

 "If you hate me this much, why did you marry me? Just let me go. We can divorce quietly. I won't ask for a single dollar of your money. Just let me have my life back."

Everett paused, his jaw tightening as he stared down at me. For a second, a strange, dangerous glint flickered in his eyes, something far worse than his usual arrogance.

"Divorce?" he repeated in a quiet, menacing tone.

 "And let the tabloids say Everett Kane couldn't keep his household in order? You think I’d let a penniless nobody walk away and stain my reputation?"

"I wouldn't say anything to the press! I swear it!"

"Shut up, Vespera," he snapped under his breath, checking his encrypted phone as it buzzed violently in his palm. He glanced up at the main stage at the front of the ballroom, where the microphone was being set up for the keynote speech. His pulse was visibly drumming in his neck. He was tense,far tenser than I had ever seen him.

A dark sense of dread began to crawl up my spine. 

Something was wrong. 

The air in the ballroom felt heavy, suffocating, like the stillness right before a lightning strike.

"Everett..." I murmured, taking a slow step backward. "I don't feel well. I'm going to the ladies' room to get some water."

I turned to walk away, needing just five minutes of air to keep my lungs from collapsing.

Snap.

A hand shot out like a iron clamp, catching my wrist in a crushingly tight grip. The sudden pressure made me gasp out loud, the sharp pain shooting all the way up my arm.

I whipped around. Everett wasn't looking at the crowd anymore. He was staring directly down at me, his icy blue glare filled with a terrifying, absolute malice that made my blood run cold.

"Where do you think you're going?" he whispered, his voice dangerously low, bending down until his cold lips brushed the shell of my ear.

"Everett, you're hurting my wrist—"

"Stand still," he commanded, his fingers tightening until I thought the bone would snap. His smile was dead, twisted, and utterly terrifying.

 "Tonight will be your last night as a Kane."