Chapter 45

• The sound of champagne glasses clinking in the distance echoed through the Sterling estate’s main hall. Tonight, the mansion had been transformed into an elegant space bathed in soft amber lights, its grand chandeliers casting golden halos over the marble floors.
• Danielle stood near the balcony, away from the noise. The late evening breeze toyed with the hem of her pale blue dress, brushing gently against her skin. Her heart was still racing—not from the party, but from the fact that tonight… she wasn’t just a guest anymore.
• She was Alexander’s girlfriend.