ELOISE
The towering crystal chandeliers of the Montgomery-Cole estate threw thousands of golden light specks across the grand ballroom. The air was rich, thick with the subtle fragrance of rare orchids, vintage champagne, and the kind of quiet, generations-old wealth that didn't need to shout to be felt.
I sat at the polished mahogany Steinway grand piano, letting my hands slide into the closing chords of the arrangement. I segued smoothly into a warm, soulful rendition of the traditional birthday song, keeping it soft, elegant, and resonant.
Near the front of the dance floor, the matriarch of the family—an elegant elderly woman draped in emerald silk and diamonds—smiled radiantly as her family gathered around her. She blew out the flickering candles on a five-tier cake, surrounded b
