Chapter 122
Victoria’s POV
The Manhattan Club’s second–floor ballroom had turned from elegant soirée to hostage situation in under an hour. What was supposed to be a Columbia alumni reunion–my chance to flaunt my Stark Entertainment contract and wedding plans–had devolved into this nightmare. Security guards in impeccable suits blocked every exit, their earpieces glinting under the crystal chandeliers as they herded us together like designer–clad cattle.
“Victoria, what are we supposed to do now?” Anna’s voice quivered beside me, her perfectly manicured fingers digging into my arm. Her eyes darted nervously toward the guards. I mean, they can’t just keep us here, right? Don’t they know who we are?*
“Seriously?” I hissed, yanking my arm away and glaring at her. “I told you not to pull any stupid stunts tonight. I fucking warned
you.”
Anna’s lower lip trembled. “I thought-”
“You didn’t think at all,” I snapped. “You never do.”
Sophie stepped between us, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Cool it, both of you. There are people everywhere. Anyone could be listening.”
She was right. The room buzzed with tension as New York’s elite whispered among themselves, their entitled indignation growing by the minute. Even Wall Street hotshots who normally strutted around Manhattan like they owned it were reduced to muttering complaints from the corners, too intimidated by Manhattan Club’s mysterious ownership to make real trouble.
“This is outrageous,” some finance bro in Tom Ford complained loudly to his friends. “Do you have any idea how much I pay in membership fees here?”
“Pipe down, Jackson,” his buddy warned. “You know who owns this place?”
That shut him up fast. Nobody knew for sure who controlled Manhattan Club, but rumors suggested someone even Wall Street’s biggest players feared.
The elevator doors slid open, and James Wilson stepped into the ballroom. My stomach twisted at the sight of Brandon Stark’s right–hand man. If James was handling this personally, shit was about to get real.
At the same moment, a harried–looking man in a bespoke suit rushed through the stairwell door, his eyes scanning the crowd frantically.
“Louis!” Kristina’s voice cut through the murmurs as she pushed through the crowd. Her usually perfect composure had cracked, revealing the fear underneath her polished exterior. “Louis, I’m over here!”
Louis Cox–Kristina’s hedge fund husband–looked relieved for half a second before his expression darkened as he took in the scene. He pulled Kristina into a quick embrace.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded, his eyes darting around the room. “You said this was just an alumni thing. Why are there guards everywhere?”
Kristina gripped his sleeve. “I don’t know what happened! One minute everything was fine, the next my classmate got locked a bathroom and bitten by a snake. Manhattan Club security swarmed in and won’t let anyone leave until they figure out who did it. They’ve been holding us here!”
Louis went pale. “A snake? In Manhattan Club? Jesus Christ, Kris.” He lowered his voice. “This isn’t just about someone getting hurt. You don’t lock down a venue like this over an accident.”
1/3
Chapter 122
“What do you mean?” Kristina asked.
“Never mind.” Louis was already moving, his eyes fixed on James Wilson across the room. “I need to talk to him.”
I watched Louis approach James with careful deference, the way people always did around Brandon’s people. Even millionaires like Louis knew better than to cross Stark Group.
“Mr. Wilson!” Louis called out, extending
his
and.
James turned, offering a professional smile. “Mr. Cox. It’s been a while. I trust everything’s well?”
They exchanged pleasantries, but I couldn’t hear the rest of their conversation. James’s expression remained perfectly controlled, while Louis’s face cycled through shock, understanding, and finally far.
Next to me, Anna was practically hyperventilating.
“Calm down,” I hissed. “You’re making us look suspicious.”
“But what if they find out-” Anna’s voice rose with panic.
Before she could finish, the room fell silent as two more security guards entered. Unlike the others stationed around the perimeter, these two moved with purpose, cutting straight through the crowd–directly toward us.
My heart stopped as they reached our little group, but relief flooded me when they grabbed Anna instead of me.
“Miss Watson?” one of them said. It wasn’t a question. “You’ll need to come with us.”
Anna’s eyes went wide with terror. “What? No! I didn’t do anything!” She struggled against their grip, her designer heels scraping across the marble floor. “You can’t just–this is illegal! Do you know who I am?”
The guards remained impassive as they began dragging her toward the service elevator. Anna twisted in their grasp, her perfectly styled hair coming undone as she thrashed.
“Victoria!” she screamed, her hand reaching out to me. “Help me! Tell them who you are! Tell them Brandon Stark is your fiancé’s uncle! Make them stop!”
E
My throat tightened as every eye in the room turned to me. Anna continued to struggle, growing more desperate.
“My brother is Joe Watson! He’s the CEO of the Watson Group! You can’t take me!”
I turned away, my fingernails digging painfully into my palms as I pretended not to hear her. The room felt suffocatingly hot, Anna’s pleading voice growing fainter as the guards pulled her into the service area.
“Victoria…”
The elevator doors closed, cutting off her final cry. The silence that followed was deafening.
A moment later, the head of security stepped forward, addressing the room. “The situation has been resolved. You’re all free to go.”
The collective sigh of relief was audible as people rushed toward the exits, eager to escape before something else happened. Louis had returned to Kristina’s side, his face ashen as he hurried her toward the door.
“What did James say?” Kristina asked.
“Not now,” Louis muttered, his grip tight on her arm. “They’ve cleared you of any involvement. That’s all that matters.”
2/3
Chapter 122
“But what about-
“Listen to me,” Louis cut her off, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “Stay away from these people. As they passed us, Louis shot me a look cold enough to freeze hell. I knew he was referring us Whatever James had told him, Louis knew exactly who was responsible.
Once the room had nearly emptied, Sophie grabbed my elbow. “Let’s go,” she murmured.
“Anna,” I started, my voice catching. “They took her. What are they going to-”
“Shh!” Sophie’s fingers dug into my arm as she glanced around nervously. “Not here. This place probably has cameras everywhere, maybe even microphones. We need to leave.”
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