Semua Bab Whisked Away : Bab 51 - Bab 60

The low hum of conversation swirled around the grand ballroom like an invisible current,soft, sophisticated, almost hypnotic. Golden light from the chandeliers spilled down in delicate layers, catching the crystal glasses and making them shimmer like tiny stars trapped in a sea of midnight silk gowns and sharp tuxedos.Amara stepped back into the hall, her heels clicking against the polished marble. The moment she crossed the threshold, the air changed, thicker, warmer, alive with that subtle electric charge that filled a room when too many powerful people were pretending to relax.Her eyes scanned instinctively for Luca.She found him near the main stage, speaking with a tall man in a tailored navy suit. His smile was practiced but thin, the kind that looked good from a distance but didn’t quite reach the eyes. Even from across the room, Amara could read the set of his jaw. She had learned that language well by now, Luca’s public smile was his armor, and the tighter it was, the more l

The last notes of the waltz dissolved into the air like champagne fizz fading in a glass. A soft ripple of applause moved through the crowd, polite and practiced, before conversation resumed. The ballroom felt warmer now, the buzz of chatter slightly louder, as though everyone had collectively decided to lean in just a little closer to their neighbor’s secrets.Inside that gilded noise, Evelyn had not moved from her spot near the champagne fountain. She seemed perfectly content to let people approach her, offering warm smiles and brief conversations. Every now and then, she would ask a question, never intrusive, always seemingly harmless. But the way her eyes sharpened at certain answers made it clear she was collecting more than pleasantries.Isabella lingered close, pretending to watch the musicians reset for the next piece. She caught herself tapping her fingers against her glass—a telltale sign she was thinking too fast.Evelyn’s sudden reappearance wasn’t just inconvenient for Luc

Luca moved through the side corridor with the kind of quiet ease that made people assume he belonged wherever he went. His black tux blended into the dimness, but his eyes stayed sharp, tracking the back of the man in the navy suit as he descended the stairs toward the service level.This part of the hotel was quieter, fewer chandeliers, more muted lighting, and the faint hum of the kitchen somewhere below. The sounds of the gala upstairs were muffled now, replaced by the occasional clink of glassware being washed and the distant, low conversations of staff.The man glanced over his shoulder once, but Luca had already stepped into the alcove of a half-open door. When he reemerged, the man was slowing in front of a nondescript conference room.Luca stayed just far enough away to hear without being seen.Inside the room, a voice spoke in a tone that carried a mix of irritation and caution.“She wasn’t supposed to make an appearance tonight.”The man in the navy suit responded quietly.“P

Matteo didn’t need an invitation to follow his instincts. His eyes had locked onto the server Amara had noticed, a young man whose crisp uniform and polished shoes didn’t disguise the fact that he was watching someone, not serving drinks.“Matteo,” Luca called lightly, almost in passing, but Matteo’s subtle hand gesture told him not to follow.He moved toward the back of the room, every step careful not to draw attention. The server slipped through the side corridor near the balcony doors, balancing the tray as if it were the most ordinary task in the world. Matteo followed, maintaining enough distance to avoid being noticed, yet close enough to catch the flicker of the man’s expression, focused, urgent, as if on a mission.Back in the ballroom, Amara stayed near Luca. She knew Matteo’s quiet disappearances always meant something was about to shift. Luca, however, seemed more interested in reading the atmosphere than chasing after his brother.“Everyone’s smiling,” Luca murmured under

The man’s voice was a stone dropped into still water,quiet, but impossible to ignore. Every ripple it created seemed to touch someone differently.Matteo’s gaze sharpened instantly, flicking toward Luca’s absence with the kind of calculation only he could manage. Evelyn, on the other hand, stepped forward with the faintest curve of her lips, like a chess player recognizing the return of an old rival.Isabella was the first to recover enough to move. She glided across the marble floor, her gown whispering at her heels, and reached the newcomer with a smile that could pass for warm,if you didn’t notice the way her eyes scanned him for weaknesses.“I didn’t expect to see you tonight,” she said softly.“Life is more interesting when you do the unexpected,” he replied, his tone as smooth as the scotch in the nearest decanter.From the balcony above, unnoticed by most, Noah had drifted away from the pillar and climbed a narrow set of stairs to gain a better vantage point. He leaned against