Vanessa Hart had always loved attention.
She loved the sound of expensive heels against marble floors, the flash of cameras, and the way conversations paused whenever she entered a room. She believed admiration wasn't earned—it belonged to people who knew how to demand it.
Tonight was no different.
The ballroom of the Imperial Grand Hotel shimmered beneath crystal chandeliers. Classical music drifted through the air while waiters moved gracefully between guests carrying champagne and delicate appetizers.
King Corporation had organized the evening as a private appreciation banquet for several major investors.
Officially.
Unofficially, everyone knew it was another opportunity for Vanessa to appear beside Adrian King.
She stood before one of the enormous mirrors in the ladies' lounge,
