Champagne And Chaos의 모든 챕터: 챕터 21 - 챕터 30

I decided to pay Bianca a visit. By the time I arrived at Bianca's apartment, I had already rehearsed the conversation in my head approximately fourteen times.None of those versions ended well.In one, Bianca slapped me.In another, she threw a champagne bottle at my head.In the most dramatic version, which was obviously my favorite, she chased me down the hallway screaming about stolen wedding headlines while I ran for my life in borrowed designer heels.Unfortunately, reality was much less entertaining.Bianca opened the door wearing an oversized silk robe, a face mask, and the expression of a woman who had been personally betrayed by the universe before noon.She stared at me.I stared at her.Then her eyes narrowed."If you're here to apologize for stealing my wedding, I'm not ready."I blinked."Good morning to you too.""It stopped being a good morning when my wedding became known as the night Grace Ellinton accidentally married Ethan Bramhall."I winced."Technically, I didn'

I found Laura exactly where I expected her to be.The hallway outside Ethan's office.Tablet in hand.Expression blank.Apparently, the woman had been manufactured in a laboratory specifically for the purpose of looking unbothered while everyone else lost their minds.I stopped in front of her."Laura."She looked up."Mrs. Bramhall.""We need to talk.""About?""The wedding."Her expression didn't change.That somehow made me more irritated."The same wedding where Ethan had enough security to protect a small country?""Yes.""The same wedding where this man was apparently wandering around?"I held up my phone, the photograph displayed on the screen.Laura looked at it.Only for a second.But I saw it.That tiny flicker in her eyes.Recognition.I lowered the phone."You know him.""I know of him.""That's not what I asked.""It's the answer I'm giving."I stared at her."Do you people have meetings where you practice saying annoying things?""No.""Because you're all very good at it

“Someone inside the company is leaking information.”The words sat in the boardroom like a bomb nobody wanted to touch.I looked at Ethan.He wasn't looking at me.His attention was fixed on the screen where the confidential document was still displayed, his face so completely unreadable that I couldn't tell whether he was angry, surprised, or already planning someone's professional funeral.Probably all three.Around the table, the executives suddenly became very interested in looking innocent.It was almost impressive.Five seconds ago, everyone had been discussing market strategy like civilized adults in expensive suits. Now half the room looked like they had just remembered they had outstanding warrants.I glanced at Laura.She was already typing something on her tablet.Of course she was.That woman probably had an emergency protocol for breathing suspiciously.Ethan finally looked away from the screen."Who had access to this information?"Nobody answered immediately.That silen

By the next afternoon, I had decided I needed to leave the mansion.Not because I had discovered anything useful.Not because I had solved the corporate leak.And definitely not because I had suddenly developed a healthy relationship with fresh air.I just needed to get away from Ethan's walls.Everything in that house had started to feel like surveillance. The cameras. The guards. Laura. The locked doors. The silent staff. Even the furniture seemed judgmental.I needed a restaurant.A normal restaurant.Somewhere with people who had problems that didn't involve billion-dollar acquisitions, corporate espionage, or masked men.So I told Laura I wanted lunch.She looked at me."Where?""Somewhere normal.""What does that mean?""I don't know. Somewhere nobody has a security clearance to eat."She stared at me for a moment."I'll make arrangements.""That wasn't permission.""It wasn't a question."Twenty minutes later, I was sitting in an expensive Manhattan restaurant that looked like

The next security anomaly happened before I had even finished breakfast.Which was becoming a very irritating pattern in my life.I was halfway through a cup of coffee when Laura appeared in the dining room with the expression she wore whenever the universe had decided to ruin my day.She stopped beside my chair."Don't panic."I slowly lowered my cup."That's what people say immediately before I should panic.""There's been a security anomaly."I closed my eyes."Of course there has."Across the table, Ethan looked up from his phone."What happened?"Laura turned toward him."One of the perimeter sensors registered an access attempt at two fourteen this morning."Ethan's expression changed instantly."Which sector?""East service corridor.""Camera?""Looped for forty-three seconds."I stared between them."What does that mean?"Neither answered.I put my coffee down."Why does nobody ever answer me when you people start speaking in secret security language?"Laura looked at me."Som