The night passed without incident.
By early the next morning, the streets around The Old Sutton Manor were packed shoulder to shoulder. The reason was simple: The Grand Sutton Ceremony was about to begin.
As the hours crept by, luxury cars lined up bumper to bumper at the entrance. One after another, powerful figures who normally only appeared on television screens stepped out into the open, drawing waves of gasps from the gathered crowd.
As the stars of the ceremony, Wanda Sutton and Cheney Wainright were dressed to the nines and had stationed themselves at the front gate to greet guests well before anyone arrived.
"Wanda, I heard Wendy Sutton's face... it's healed?" Cheney asked, keeping his tone casual.
"Mm." Wanda nodded, a sour note slipping into her voice before she could catch
