Chapter 217

• I stepped into the lavish suite with the controlled poise of a woman who had faced boardrooms filled with billion-dollar egos and walked out with my head held high. My heels clicked against the polished marble floor as I stopped just short of Hazel's curated sitting area, where the grande dame of society sat surrounded by antique furniture, a designer espresso cup trembling in her manicured fingers.
• Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the assistants young, tense, and clearly underpaid rush forward protectively toward Hazel.
• "Security!" the assistant called, voice rising. "Get in here! Now!"