Her explanation made logical sense, yet didn't fully calm the unease growing inside me. Something in Pierce's certainty had felt too genuine, too knowing.
"Continue as planned," Victoria instructed. "The governor is waiting to meet you. Then the museum director, the foundation board members, and the Japanese investors at table twelve."
Just like that, we moved on. Back to the carefully orchestrated evening, back to my debut as Victoria Kane's heir, back to pretending Alexander Pierce hadn't just threatened to unravel everything with a few well-chosen words.
For the next two hours, I performed flawlessly. Charmed the governor. Discussed art acquisitions with the museum director. Impressed the foundation board with my knowledge of their programs. Spoke passable Japanese to the investors.
