The Grand Palais held nearly everyone who mattered in international jewelry. Critics, collectors, and company heads filled the velvet seats beneath its glass-and-steel roof.
Their voices rose to the mezzanine until the lights dimmed.
Dante and I watched from a mezzanine alcove. Neither of us touched the champagne.
Onstage, a spotlight caught the Rising Star of the Year statuette in Chloe’s hands. She pressed the crystal award to her chest. Tears ran neatly down both cheeks without disturbing her makeup.
“I hardly know what to say.” She paused at the microphone. “The Phoenix collection came to me during a time of profound personal struggle.”
She lifted the award. “It’s about rising from the ashes and finding the strength to become who you were always meant to be.”
I covered a cough wi
