The gala shimmered with money, lies, and too much champagne. Crystal chandeliers hung like frozen fireworks, their light catching every diamond and secret in the room. Tracy adjusted the black satin mask over her face, her reflection a stranger in the mirror of the grand ballroom doors.
She didn’t belong here — and that was exactly the point.
“Smile like you’re supposed to be dazzled,” Sophie’s voice whispered through the earpiece, hidden behind one pearl earring.
“I am dazzled,” Tracy murmured. “Just not by the decor.”
Through the crowd, she spotted him — Carter in a tailored white tuxedo, shaking hands, charming investors, every laugh a performance. The orchestra swelled, and flashbulbs burst like sparks as photographers captured the night’s golden god.
But Tracy saw through the gol
