Chapter 3 - THE HARRELL HEIRESS
The penthouse suite at the Grand Hotel was a sanctuary of gold and marble.
A team of stylists was already waiting,
their faces masks of professional focus.
They didn't ask questions,
they simply went to work.
My hair was swept up into a sophisticated bun,
revealing the elegant line of my neck.
My makeup was done with precision,
enhancing my eyes until they looked like emeralds.
But it was the dress that changed everything.
It was a custom piece from a designer in Paris,
made of black silk that felt like liquid midnight.
It clung to my curves in all the right places,
trailing behind me in a wave of understated power.
Around my neck,
my father placed the Harrell Heart,
a ruby surrounded by diamonds that was worth more than Spencer’s entire company.
I looked at myself in the full-length mirror.
The navy-blue dress was a memory.
The woman staring back at me was a force of nature.
“You look like your mother,”
Raymond said,
standing in the doorway.
“She always knew how to command a room.”
“I’m ready, Dad.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s going to be there with her.”
“That’s the point,”
I said,
my voice steady.
“I want him to see exactly what he threw away.”
“And I want her to realize that she was just a temporary replacement.”
We took the private elevator down to the ballroom level.
My father’s security team cleared a path through the lobby.
People stopped and stared,
wondering who the mysterious woman on Raymond Harrell’s arm was.
The doors to the Grand Ballroom were guarded by two men in tuxedos.
As we approached,
they bowed their heads in respect.
“Mr. Harrell,”
one of them said.
“Your table is ready.”
The music from the gala was a low hum behind the doors.
The scent of expensive perfume and fine wine wafted through the air.
I took a deep breath,
feeling the weight of the ruby against my skin.
Spencer thought tonight was his night.
He thought he was the lion in this room.
He was about to find out he was just a guest in my father’s house.
“Shall we?”
Raymond asked,
offering me his arm.
“Let’s make an entrance,”
May you like
I replied.
The doors swung open.
