I Called My Husband 30 Times to Tell Him His Mother Was Dying—But He Was Vacationing on an Island With His Mistress. I Said Goodbye Alone, Arranged the Funeral, Left My Wedding Ring Beside the Divorce Papers… Then Disappeared Without a Word.

I quickly smashed the GPS tracker with the heavy iron fire poker.

I knew we only had minutes before Julian's armed men breached the cabin doors.

Vance and I slipped out the back window and ran down the muddy trail in the dark.

We heard the sound of heavy boots kicking the front door open behind us.

We managed to reach a secondary dirt road where Vance kept an old, beat-up pickup truck hidden.

The engine sputtered but finally roared to life.

We drove through the night, heading straight back into the heart of the city.

By dawn, we were parked in an underground garage two blocks from the grand hotel.

The shareholder gala was set to begin at noon.

I used a cheap box of dye from a pharmacy to color my blonde hair jet black.

Vance handed me a stolen catering uniform he had procured from a contact.

I put on the crisp white shirt and black vest, pulling my hair back into a tight bun.

I walked into the bustling service entrance of the hotel alongside a dozen other temporary workers.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I navigated the maze of underground kitchens.

I rode the service elevator up to the massive ballroom floor.

The room was lavishly decorated with crystal chandeliers and ice sculptures.

I peeked out from behind a floral arrangement and saw Julian standing near the stage.

He was holding a glass of champagne and whispering into Sienna's ear.

Disgust washed over me, but I forced myself to stay focused on the mission.

I needed to reach the audiovisual control room on the balcony level.

I picked up a tray of empty champagne flutes and headed for the VIP stairs.

“Which daughter is yours?” should have been a harmless question

The first wineglass shattered at 8:07 p.m

The moment the mafia boss’s wife called me “an illiterate servant,”

Suddenly, a massive hand clamped down on my shoulder.

A towering security guard glared at me and demanded to see my all-access security badge.

Chapter 7 - The Infiltration