The golden chandeliers of the grand ballroom at the Harbor Grand vibrated with the hum of high-society chatter, but the air around the Montgomery party was sharp enough to draw blood. Daphne Davenport, the Davenport Heiress, stood with an icy, statuesque poise that commanded the attention of every power broker in the room. In Manhattan, a Davenport didn't just walk into a room; they occupied it by right of ancient capital and generational influence.
Vanessa Sterling watched the scene unfold with a rising sense of panic. She was acutely aware of the social hierarchy at play. To Dame Beatrice, the Davenport Heiress was a living deity—a gateway to the kind of elite jewelry trade that could propel the Montgomery Clan from the "strivers" list to the "titans" list. If Liam Livingston so much as
