The grand double doors of the Zenith Ballroom swung open, drawing a collective, involuntary intake of breath from the city’s elite. Emma Carter stepped across the threshold, moving with a quiet, effortless grace that instantly commanded the room. She was entirely alone, a deliberate choice. She had come not as a guest seeking shelter within the high-society fold, but as bait—fully aware that Chloe Warren and Vera were waiting in the wings to spring their trap. Tonight, she wore a breathtaking midnight-blue gown that cascaded down her silhouette like liquid starlight, shimmering subtly with every step under the glittering chandeliers. Her hair was swept up into an intricate chignon, leaving her delicate neck bare except for a simple, elegant diamond pendant. She looked every bit the ethereal high-society darling, yet beneath her calm exterior, her sharp, analytical mind calculated every exit, every gaze, and every whispered murmur. As she drifted toward the edge of the room, acceptin
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