Salome’s POV
"You really should watch your mouth when the floor is this slippery, Portia."
I didn't scramble to my feet. I took a breath, feeling the cold marble against my palms, and pushed myself up with deliberate, slow movements. My elbow throbbed where it had slammed into the ground, but I barely felt it. All I could hear was the fading echo of Portia’s screech. She hadn't just insulted me. She had just handed me the rope to hang her with.
The ballroom was so quiet I could hear the hum of the air conditioning. Hundreds of eyes tracked my every move. Portia stood there, chest heaving, her face a mask of panicked triumph. She thought she had won. She thought outting my trauma in front of the elite would break me.
"You seem to have a very vivid imagination," I said, brushing a stray
