“Babe, does it look good on me?” Madison asked, stroking the necklace like it belonged to her.
“It looks perfect,” Grant replied—then kissed her. “Honestly, it looks better on you than on my wife. She has no taste. Tonight you’re sitting with me at the head table. You’re the partner I’m presenting.”
I turned away without a word.
In the kitchen, tightening the apron strings, I felt him stripping my dignity piece by piece… and now stealing my family’s memory too.
They had no idea that night would change everything.
The party was held in the grand ballroom of a five-star hotel in downtown Washington, D.C. Crystal chandeliers lit the room, and a jazz quartet played softly while executives, investors, and directors clinked champagne glasses.
I entered through the service door carrying a tray of drinks, the black uniform perfectly pressed.
No one noticed me.
I was invisible—exactly how Grant wanted it.
I spotted him immediately.
Standing in the center of the room, laughing, shaking hands, soaking in attention like it was oxygen. At his side, Madison wore a sleek red dress, the emerald necklace glowing against her collarbone like a trophy.