Chapter 1 - The Descent from the Stage
The grand ballroom of the Grandview Hotel felt suffocating, its high vaulted ceilings amplifying every gasp and murmur of the three hundred guests. On the elevated stage, security guards gripped Rebecca by her arms, escorting her smoothly toward the heavy double doors while the room watched in frozen disbelief.
Rebecca’s face remained an impenetrable mask of absolute composure. Wearing her stunning dark green silk evening gown, she moved with quiet dignity, showing no trace of fear or panic—only a controlled, unwavering strength that unnerved everyone watching.
Marcus Vance stepped forward, pointing aggressively with a smug, vindictive expression. His tailored dark blue tuxedo felt like armor for a man who believed he had won absolute control. Beside him, Celeste Rowan beamed in her shimmering gold silk gown, raising her champagne flute with a mocking smile as she watched the expulsion unfold.
"Security! Get her out," Marcus snapped, his voice sharp and loud across the room. "She doesn’t belong here anymore."
Rebecca didn't flinch. As the guards guided her past the edge of the dais, she turned her head just slightly toward Marcus and Celeste.
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"You’re just following instructions," Rebecca said in a quiet, steady voice that cut clearly through the tension. "I won’t make your job difficult."
With a subtle, deliberate movement of her wrist, her small black evening purse slipped from her fingers, dropping silently onto the polished marble floor. She didn't look back to retrieve it. A sharp violin note from the jazz band cut off abruptly in the background, leaving an eerie, echoing silence in its wake.
