*CRASH—!*
A crystal goblet, studded with diamante facets, shattered violently against the polished Carrara marble floor! Crimson wine exploded like arterial spray amidst razor-sharp shards, staining the plush ivory wool carpet with garish, indelible blooms.
Zhou Yating stood petrified beneath the chandelier’s glacial radiance. A perfect cream cashmere suit, now defiled by wine spatter resembling flung blood, clung to her rigid frame. In her white-knuckled grip, a freshly printed Morning Breeze Gazette special edition—its glossy cover torn by frantic fingernails. Her meticulously maintained face, usually a mask of porcelain composure, had blanched to the pallor of fresh plaster. Lips trembled; eyes stared vacantly. Shock, cold and absolute, had flash-frozen her in place.
The fro
