Chapter 604

• The silence that followed their entrance was brittle, broken only by the frantic, low-frequency buzz of a hundred hushed conversations.
• “Who is that?” a woman near the buffet whispered, craning her neck for a better view. “Is that really the woman everyone’s been talking about? She looks like she stepped out of a palace.”
• The whispers swelled into a dull roar as guests leaned toward one another, eyes glued to the couple.