Chapter 2 - THE SHOCK IN THE BALLROOM
The silence inside the grand ballroom of the Hamptons estate was so thick it felt suffocating.
A faint trickle of dark blood stained the collar of Clara’s dark red silk blouse, glistening under the crystal chandelier lights.
Eleanor stood above her, white hair perfectly coiffed, her chest heaving underneath her navy blue velvet gown and pearl necklace.
Male guests in charcoal grey suits and bow ties froze in stunned silence, their champagne flutes hovering inches from their lips.
Clara kept her head high, the black smartphone held firmly against her ear as her voice cut through the silent room like a razor blade.
"Yes, send two corporate litigation partners to the Vanderbilt Estate immediately," Clara spoke into the phone, her tone ice-cold.
Eleanor’s face contorted into a mask of pure aristocratic rage as she realized Clara wasn't going to cower or flee in tears.
"You arrogant little nobody!" Eleanor hissed, her pearls trembling against her neck. "You brought this public humiliation upon yourself!"
A small US flag mounted near the grand marble fireplace caught the warm draft, swaying gently like an impartial observer to the destruction.
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Clara slowly lowered her phone, meeting Eleanor's venomous glare with an eerie, unshakeable calm that terrified every high-society guest in attendance.
***
