Silence fell over the hall for one breath.
Then—
Roaring laughter flooded the room.
It rolled across the marble floor like crashing waves, each peal more mocking than the last.
“Hah! Sarah Lacy, are you trying to kill us with laughter?”
“If you’re going to brag, at least make it believable! Do you even know what kind of person Mr. Bailey is? And you think you know him?”
“Your whole family is trash—meeting Mr. Bailey? Don’t make me laugh!”
Emily Zane smirked, folding her arms.
“Oh, Sarah… you do know you’re spouting nonsense, right? Even I haven’t met Mr. Bailey. And you dare claim he invited you?”
“My brother was absolutely right not to marry you. Otherwise our entire family would drown in your shame.”
She laughed and flicked her fingers dismissively.
“But since my brother’s neg
