Chapter 2: The Calm Before the Storm
Winona remained completely motionless. She didn't flinch, she didn't gasp, and she showed absolutely no sign of anger. The burning humiliation Cassandra intended to inflict simply rolled off her like water.
Slowly, deliberately, Winona reached onto a passing server’s tray, took a crisp white linen napkin, and began to dab the dark red wine stain on her chest. Her movements were calm, rhythmic, and entirely devoid of panic. With each press of the napkin, she regained her composure, her posture growing even more commanding against the backdrop of the towering glass atrium.
She lowered the napkin, dropping it casually onto a high-top table, and looked directly into the eyes of the arrogant guest. Winona's face was perfectly serene, but her dark eyes held a terrifying, unshakeable authority that made the temperature in the corridor drop instantly.
"Are you done?" Winona asked, her voice low, steady, and carrying a sub-zero chill. "Because you just made a very costly mistake."
Cassandra scoffed, crossing her arms tightly. "A mistake? Do you know who my husband is? He practically owns the logistics network for this entire infrastructure project. You’re a nobody. Security! Get this—"
"Madam Chairperson… your security team is waiting," a powerful, resonant voice interrupted.
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Suddenly, a dapper man in a pristine white tuxedo emerged from the velvet-roped VIP section, escorted by four hulking, stone-faced security guards in earpieces. It was Thomas Kincaid, the executive director of the federal energy council. He didn't look at Cassandra. He walked straight past her, standing protectively behind Winona, glaring at the arrogant guest with a deadly, furious expression.
Cassandra’s smug smile instantly vanished, her eyes widening as she recognized the man who held the keys to the city's largest infrastructure permits. "Mr. Kincaid? Why are you addressing her as—"
