David
By the time I walked down the grand staircase, the party had already recovered from the delay.
That was the thing about people, they adapted quickly as long as the champagne kept flowing.
Laughter echoed across the ballroom beneath the glow of enormous crystal chandeliers. Waiters dressed in black moved through the crowd carrying silver trays overflowing with expensive cocktails while the orchestra played a soft romantic melody near the center stage. Women draped in diamonds leaned toward each other whispering gossip behind practiced smiles, and businessmen who would stab each other in the back for a better deal laughed together like old friends.
From a distance, it looked perfect.
Elegant.
Controlled.
Exactly the kind of illusion people expected from my world. But beneath all
