The celebration that should have been spectacular crashed and burned, turning the Hale family into the elite's favorite gossip topic.
The Hale handed out generous silence money to every guest, ensuring no word would leak beyond tonight, but they'd invited practically every influential figure in the city.
This scandal was now dinner table conversation across high society.
Once the last guest departed, Sergio rushed the cleaning crew to restore the ballroom while he and Atticus headed upstairs to console Nathalia and Patty. The mother-daughter duo were sobbing uncontrollably in the bedroom.
Patty looked particularly devastated, her face swollen from tears. Tonight had been her complete humiliation. Not only was her secret exposed, but she'd also lost any chance with the Brady family. Wedding Darius was now a fantasy.
She couldn't erase the disgust in his mother's eyes—like she was watching filth.
