Chapter 2: The Event
Chapter 2: The Event
The gala was everything Adrian hated: crystal chandeliers, polished marble floors, and people who measured worth in dollars and status.
He stood beside Evelyn Hart in a tailored suit she had arranged for him—something subtle, but undeniably expensive.
Whispers spread almost immediately.
“Isn’t that the janitor?”
“Why is he with Mrs. Hart?”
Adrian kept his gaze forward, but Evelyn didn’t seem bothered at all. She moved through the crowd like she belonged to it more than anyone else.
Then the atmosphere shifted.
A familiar laugh cut through the room.
Adrian stiffened.
His ex had arrived.
She entered arm-in-arm with a wealthy man in a navy tuxedo, flashing diamonds on her wrist like a declaration of victory.
And then her eyes found Adrian.
The smile on her face widened.
“Oh my God,” she called out, loud enough for the room to hear. “You actually came here like this?”
A few guests chuckled.
Adrian felt heat rise in his chest—but before he could respond, Evelyn stepped slightly forward.
“And you are?” she asked calmly.
The ex blinked. “I’m his former girlfriend.”
Evelyn’s expression changed—just slightly.
Not anger.
Recognition.
Her gaze shifted to the man beside the ex.
Something sharpened in her eyes.
She had seen him before.
In board meetings.
In acquisition files.
In financial reports tied to companies her late husband had been investigating before his death.
The wealthy man smiled politely, but Evelyn didn’t return it.
Instead, she said quietly, almost to herself:
May you like
“So you’re the one who inherited stolen money.”
The room went silent.
