Chapter 5 - The Gala of Glass
Before Victoria could pull Elena aside to reveal the truth, the annual Sterling Foundation Gala commenced. The manor was transformed into a glittering paradise of wealth. Mayors, senators, and tech billionaires filled the ballroom.
Isabelle was in her element, dripping in diamonds and wearing a custom Parisian gown. Elena, in stark contrast, was forced into a stiff black-and-white uniform, carrying trays of champagne through the sea of billionaires.
Isabelle spotted Elena and smirked. She nudged her date, a ruthless hedge-fund manager named Carter. "Watch this," she whispered.
As Elena walked past, Isabelle deliberately stuck out her stiletto heel.
Elena tripped. The silver tray went flying. Six crystal flutes of vintage champagne shattered against the marble floor, splashing directly onto Isabelle’s designer gown.
The music stopped. The entire ballroom went dead silent.
"You stupid, clumsy wretch!" Isabelle screamed, her face flushed with fury. She raised her hand, fully intending to strike Elena across the face in front of five hundred people.
Before Isabelle's hand could connect, another hand caught her wrist mid-air.
It was Victoria.
Victoria's grip was like an iron vise. She yanked Isabelle’s hand down with terrifying force. "Do not ever," Victoria snarled, her voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings, "raise your hand to her."
Isabelle was too stunned to speak. The guests began to whisper fiercely.
Victoria turned to Elena, who was kneeling in the glass, shaking. Victoria ignored the thousands of dollars of ruined couture. She knelt down right in the middle of the spilled champagne, ruining her own gown, and gently took Elena’s hands.
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"Leave the glass," Victoria said softly, a tenderness in her voice that no one in the room had ever heard before. "Come with me."
Victoria led the stunned maid out of the ballroom, leaving Isabelle humiliated and abandoned in front of the city's elite.
