Chapter 30–The Engagement Party
Flashback Continued
(Beverley’s POV)
The ballroom glowed like a golden cage.
Crystal chandeliers dripped light across polished marble, violins sang a delicate waltz, and everywhere I looked, the world’s richest smiled their poisonous smiles. Waiters floated with champagne trays, diamonds glinted at every throat, and whispers slithered between jeweled fans.
But all I felt were the shackles around my wrists, hidden beneath the glittering bracelets my father had clasped on me.
Tonight was supposed to be a celebration.
For me, it was a funeral.
“Smile,” my father murmured at my side, his palm pressing lightly against my back as if I were a child to be guided. His tuxedo was sharp, but his face was pale, drained from weeks of desperation. “Do it for the f
