ting, reporters were shoving past security guards to get photos of the a

with rage. He pushed violently through the crowd

lips. "You faked those emails for your stupid social

n, forming a tight circle around Elle, trap

t him. "I didn't fake anything, Dalton. You're just mad the whole world knows you wer

like he was go

er way through the guards. Her face was contorted with fu

ssive emerald ring flashing on her finger, and swung her arm wi

ards. She closed her eyes

to

like a bullwhip. It was so sharp, so comman

the ballroom s

still wearing the shapeless, dusty gray maid's uniform, her hair messy from the cramped ventilation shaft, but the sheer, unyielding intensity radia

Despite the throbbing, agonizing pain in her injured right ankle from the alleyway, she forced her muscles to lock. Show no weakness. Not to them. She descended the marble steps with deliberate, terrifying slowness. Each step

instinctively parted for her, stepping

n could lower her arm, Chloe's hand shot out. She clamped

er touch her,

e push caught Barbara off guard. Her stiletto heels tangled in the hem of her g

knee. The man grunted and buckled. Chloe grabbed Elle by the arm

wide with panic. "You're crazy!

laugh. She took a step toward hi

re you just terrified because I have the IP logs proving your family colluded with my PR team to u

d turned cold. He looked around wildly, realiz

You ungrateful brat! You are a piece of trash! Your family was

is over-leveraged by three hundred million dollars. You needed my trust fund to stop the bank fro

the crowd immediately pulled out their phones, texting

nally pushed his way to the front. H

at Chloe. "Security! Grab her! Lock

their batons and began closing in on

rm and pulled out a small, black remote control she had taken from the AV room.

stantly email the complete, unredacted proxy trace and the PR firm's internal communication logs to every major

froze in th

ack remote in her hand, his chest heaving. He didn't know i

stile circle, holding the detonator