CHAPTER 1 — THE WOMAN IN THE SILVER DRESS
The Whitmore Estate was glowing that night.
Hundreds of candles illuminated the marble hall, while crystal chandeliers reflected across the polished floor. Wealthy businessmen, celebrities, politicians, and socialites had gathered for the annual Whitmore Charity Gala.
Among them was Victoria Blackwood.
She was thirty-two, beautiful, wealthy, and feared.
Everyone knew Victoria.
She was the daughter of one of the city's most powerful businessmen. She had grown up believing that money could solve every problem and that people without money existed only to serve people like her.
That evening, she wore a shimmering silver dress that attracted everyone's attention.
As she walked through the ballroom, guests immediately stepped aside.
A young waitress named Anna was carrying a tray of champagne.
Anna was twenty-six.
Unlike the wealthy guests, she didn't belong to this world.
She worked two jobs to support her younger brother, who was still in college.
Her uniform was simple.
Her shoes were slightly worn.
But Anna carried herself with quiet dignity.
As she walked past Victoria, someone accidentally bumped into her.
The tray tilted.
One champagne glass nearly fell.
Anna caught it just in time.
“I'm sorry,” she whispered.
Victoria turned.
Her eyes immediately traveled from Anna's face to her uniform.
Then she smiled coldly.
“Be careful.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Anna tried to walk away.
But Victoria suddenly stepped in front of her.
“You spilled something on my dress.”
Anna froze.
“What?”
Victoria pointed at a tiny drop of champagne near the bottom of her dress.
Anna stared.
“That wasn't me. Someone bumped into me.”
The people nearby became silent.
Victoria's expression hardened.
“Are you accusing me of lying?”
“No, ma'am.”
“Then apologize.”
“I already did.”
Victoria's eyes narrowed.
“You apologized for almost dropping the tray. Not for ruining my dress.”
Anna looked around.
Several guests were watching.
She lowered her voice.
“I can get a cloth.”
Victoria laughed.
“A cloth?”
Her voice became louder.
“You think a cloth can fix a dress that costs more than your yearly salary?”
Some guests looked uncomfortable.
Anna's face turned red.
“I didn't mean to—”
Victoria suddenly grabbed Anna's wrist.
“You people always make excuses.”
Anna tried to pull away.
“Please let go.”
Victoria tightened her grip.
“What did you say?”
“Please.”
A man standing nearby stepped forward.
“Miss Blackwood, perhaps that's enough.”
Victoria looked at him.
Then she smiled.
“You're right.”
She released Anna.
But before Anna could leave, Victoria deliberately knocked the champagne tray from her hands.
Glasses shattered across the marble floor.
Everyone gasped.
Anna stood frozen.
Victoria looked down at the broken glasses.
Then at Anna.
“Clean it up.”
Anna's eyes filled with tears.
She knelt.
But nobody noticed the man standing in the shadows.
He had watched everything.
And unlike everyone else in the ballroom, he wasn't looking at Anna with pity.
He was looking at Victoria with anger.