Chapter 6: A Night of Unmasking

The Celios Charity Gala was one of the biggest events held annually. It is more of a show of power than of charity. It seemed even more so this year as the grand ballroom was a sea of black ties, champagne towers, and whispered scandals.

The room went silent as the doors opened to Gabrielle gliding in. She was draped in the "Midnight Star"—a gown made of deep navy silk encrusted with thousands of microscopic black diamonds that shimmered like a galaxy with every step. Her hair was swept up, exposing the elegant line of her neck, and her only jewelry was a simple, high-collared diamond choker.

Beside her, Ethan looked like a dark god. His hand was firmly planted on the small of her back, a gesture of public possessiveness that sent shockwaves through the crowd.

"Look at her," a socialite whispered. "Isn't that the Daniels girl? The one whose father lost everything?"

"She looks... different."

Across the room, Betsy stood with Ethan’s cousin, Henry. Her face twisted into a mask of pure envy. She was wearing her signature white, but next to Gabrielle’s celestial radiance, she looked like a washed-out ghost.

"Don't worry," Henry whispered to Betsy. "The 'big reveal' is ready. She won't survive the night."

As Gabrielle and Ethan moved through the crowd, a man stepped into their path. It was Zephyr Mansah, Gabrielle’s ex-fiancé, a man who had abandoned her the moment her father’s debt became public.

"Gabrielle," Zephyr said, his eyes roving over her with a mixture of regret and lust. "You look... well. I see you’ve found a new benefactor."

Before Gabrielle could speak, the temperature around her dropped.

Ethan stepped forward, his presence so overwhelming that Zephyr instinctively took a step back. "Your history with my wife is a stain she’s already washed off, Mr. Mansah. If you speak to her again, I’ll ensure your family’s firm is delisted by Monday morning. Do I make myself clear?"

Zephyr turned pale and scurried away like a rat.

"You didn't have to do that," Gabrielle whispered, her heart fluttering.

"I told you," Ethan replied, his eyes on her. "I don't like people near my toys."

They went on to take their seats as the lights dimmed, and the host took the stage to begin the gala. The event went on and on until it was time for auctioning items donated by the attendees.

"And now, for item A20! A piece of history donated by Miss Betsy—a silver pendant she claims was the very item she held when she saved a certain billionaire’s life four years ago!" The auctioneer’s voice echoed as a velvet box was opened to reveal a silver pendant that drew attention. It was an exact replica of the one Gabrielle had when she saved Ethan.

Betsy looked directly at Ethan from where she sat, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. She had spent a fortune having a jeweler recreate the pendant based on old photos of Gabrielle’s mother. She knew Ethan hadn't found the girl with the pendant—she would become that girl.

The room erupted in applause as Gabrielle felt the world tilting. She looked at Ethan, expecting to see some kind of reaction.

Instead, Ethan let out a cold, sharp laugh that silenced the room.

"That’s a beautiful story, Miss Lain," Ethan said, his voice amplified by the silence. "There’s just one problem."

He reached into his inner suit pocket and pulled out a small, charred piece of metal.

"The night of the accident, the savior didn't leave with the pendant," Ethan said, "It was crushed under the wheel of the car. I found the original—or what was left of it—in the wreckage a week later. It has a serial number engraved on the inner clasp, a custom work by a jeweler in the 1970s." He looked at Betsy’s "pendant" on the stage. "Yours is a very pretty fake.”

The room turned to Betsy whose face was now white with horror.

"Betsy," Ethan’s voice was like a death knell. "I told you before that if I ever see you again, I'd destroy the Lain family."

Betsy collapsed to the floor knowing it was over as Ethan's guards moved in to escort her out.

The auction quickly came to an end after the chaos.

___

Henry had been watching the mayhem unfold with a manic glint in his eyes. As Ethan and Gabrielle stepped out of the hall, he approached them.

“Heartless as always, cousin.” He uttered as he looked at Gabrielle. “Surely, this is how you'd treat your wife when you find out what she's playing.” He left immediately after that sentence, making Gabrielle wonder if he was sick or something.

Before she could speak to Ethan beside her, she got a notification from her phone. Thinking it was from her socials, she clicked on it to reveal a bank statement.

Recipient: Gabrielle. Amount: $2,000,000. Memo: 'For services rendered: Shore Corp Internal Data.'

Gabrielle’s blood turned to ice. She looked up at Ethan. His face, a darkness so profound it was terrifying.

"I... I didn't," she gasped.

Ethan looked at the screen, then back at Gabrielle. He didn't say a word. He simply turned and walked out of the gala, leaving her standing alone.