Vanessa disappeared into the crowd as gracefully as she had arrived, her silver gown blending effortlessly into the sea of expensive suits and glittering dresses.
Elena remained rooted to the spot, her heartbeat refusing to settle. Vanessa’s words echoed mercilessly inside her head. “You don’t belong in this world.”
“You won’t so much as last a second in it.”
It hadn’t sounded like an ordinary warning. It had sounded like a promise. Slowly, Elena released a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She forced herself to straighten her shoulders, but the confidence she had walked into the ballroom with had taken a serious blow. Patrick had warned her. Alexander had warned her. She simply hadn’t expected the battle to begin the moment she walked through the door.
Needing a mome
