CHAPTER 7: LACE AND LIES
423 Words
Chapter 7 – Lace and Lies
The Crimson Gala was all diamonds and deception.
Held in the grand ballroom of the Sinclair Hotel, it was where the rich came to show off and the corrupt came to blend in. Tonight, the room glittered under chandeliers, laughter clinking against champagne flutes, secrets stitched into every dress.
Ava walked in wearing blood-red lace and heels that made her feel lethal.
Her hair was pinned high, her lips painted like sin, and her eyes — sharp, untrusting, focused.
She wasn’t there to party.
She was there to confront the woman who’d tried to erase her.
Rachel Vaughn stood near the bar, looking like she owned the room. Tall, poised, a slit in her black velvet dress that was almost as sharp as her smile.
Their eyes met across the floor.
Rachel didn’t flinch.
She lifted her glass in a silent toast — then turned and walked toward a private balcony.
Ava followed.
Outside, the night air was cooler. Quieter.
Rachel lit a cigarette without asking. “You look good, Ava. Alive suits you.”
“Shame you didn’t want it to,” Ava said coolly.
Rachel exhaled smoke in a perfect ring. “You think I was the only one?”
“I think you were the one who knew me best. And still helped destroy me.”
Rachel tilted her head. “I didn’t destroy you. I upgraded you.”
Ava’s fingers curled around the stem of her wine glass.
“Why?” she whispered.
Rachel didn’t answer.
She stepped closer instead, lowering her voice. “They were going to wipe you. Fully. I convinced them to keep a fragment. A spark.”
“Of what? Hope?”
“Of Julian,” she said simply.
Ava’s breath hitched.
Rachel smiled, cruel and beautiful. “You think he’s your tragedy. But he’s your trigger.”
And then she leaned in — close enough that her perfume wrapped around Ava like a choke.
“Ask yourself this: why do you keep coming back to the man who broke you?”
Rachel walked away without waiting for an answer.
And Ava stood there, heart pounding, the word “trigger” echoing in her skull like a warning shot.
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🔥 End of Chapter 7
Tension’s boiling over:
Rachel reveals she saved part of Ava… but for what purpose?
Julian is more than just her past — he might be the key to everything.
Ava’s no longer sure who the real enemy is — but she’s getting closer.
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- Writer
