Chapter 3: The Performance of a Lifetime
The reception was a nightmare of gilded excess. A thousand guests—senators, moguls, socialites—swirled around them. Caleb moved with the practiced ease of a man who had studied his target for years. He wore the silicone mask of the "billionaire" again, a prosthetic masterpiece.
As they walked through the ballroom, he leaned close to her ear, his breath warm against her neck. "Smile. The press is watching. And stop gripping your bouquet so hard; you’re drawing attention."
Elara played her part, the blushing, timid bride, while her mind raced. She knew where the Sterling ledger was kept—in the safe behind the portrait in the study. While Caleb distracted the family elders with a "toast," she slipped away.
The study was locked, but she had the key—a gift from a sympathetic butler she’d bribed weeks ago. She opened the safe, her hands shaking, and grabbed the black leather book. But as she turned to leave, the door creaked open. It was Julian, the Sterling heir, his eyes narrowed. "What are you doing in here, darling?"
