ad, people flocked there to admire the beauty of

oasis stood the most covet

an the club, which only made

to a banquet at Vista Cay, everyone

impossible, and that made

ridge across the river burst into life, its lights shimmering in

esigner dress, Renee moved g

his glass, his expression

re at this banquet. As soon as my mother'

r has always treated me well, so helping her was only right. Before this night i

ayed a flicker of d

ll notice them. Caduceus's famous for her ob

imming with

truth was she had only glimpsed a woman from afar. Still, t

hall could hope to outs

've got i

e erupted near

ned to see what

ess impossible to ignore. Waves of dark hair tumbled down her back, and

had become so striking they almost seemed unreal

not help but gas

seemed to follow El

f caught off guard,

, shock slipping t

er daze, irritation sh

irl from the countryside carried h

e, a piece far grander than anything she owned, and sh

nly hadn't giv

ght the dazed fascination on Dominic's fac

she worked to soften her tone,

ght. Maybe I should excuse myself. I wouldn't want to

s, as she took a step back,

returned to he

didn't i

as though the n

he banquet doesn't hand out invitations eas

n her eyes, sharpen

st the situation

the Stanley family, even after every

tween them, and Dom

le, swept her ga

ailey, her archnemesis, rarely appeared in p

uceus's fascination with antique jewels. The more ancient the bette

ing that jade would almo

e hoped her plan

meone move directly in front of her u