The red carpet was left in absolute shambles.
As Elara walked into the Grand Azure Hotel, her hand resting lightly on Alexander's arm, the whispers followed them like a tidal wave. The city's elite, usually so composed, practically tripped over themselves to clear a path for the terrifying billionaire and the woman dripping in his forty-million-dollar diamonds.
Across the ballroom, Julian was pacing near the main stage. He looked like a man who had just swallowed glass. Chloe was beside him, frantically reapplying her lip gloss and looking around like a frightened rabbit.
"Look at him," Alexander murmured, his deep voice vibrating against Elara's shoulder. "He's trying to figure out if I'm here to bankrupt him or bury him."
"Let him sweat," Elara replied, her eyes fixed on the stage. "He needs to get up there first. The higher he climbs, the harder the fall."
She didn't have to wait long.
At exactly eight-thirty, the lights dimmed. The MC stepped up to the podium, his voice slightly shaky as he looked out at the sea of expectant faces—and the dark, imposing figure of Alexander Cross standing near the front.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the MC stammered. "Please welcome our keynote speaker... the acting head of Vance Corporation... Mr. Julian Cross."
A smattering of nervous applause echoed through the room. Julian adjusted his tie, plastered his tragic, golden-boy smile back onto his face, and took the stairs to the stage.
He gripped the edges of the podium, leaning into the microphone. Behind him, a massive digital screen displayed the Vance Corporation logo.
"Thank you," Julian began, his voice thick with rehearsed emotion. "Tonight was supposed to be a celebration of charity. But as many of you saw outside... my family is currently going through a private tragedy."
Elara took a sip of champagne from a passing waiter's tray. She didn't blink.
"My beautiful fiancé, Elara," Julian continued, looking out into the crowd with sorrowful eyes. He purposefully avoided looking directly at Alexander. "She is unwell. The stress of losing her father, the burden of the company... it has fractured her mind. She is making erratic, dangerous decisions. Associating with... dangerous elements."
A collective gasp rippled through the audience. Julian was actually implying that Elara had lost her mind and that Alexander was taking advantage of a crazy woman. It was a bold, desperate, suicidal move.
"But I want to assure our investors," Julian said, his voice rising in manufactured strength. "I will not let her destroy her family's legacy. As her proxy, and the acting CEO, I am stepping up to protect Vance Corporation from hostile threats. I will—"
"You will pack your bags and vacate my property."
Elara's voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the silence of the ballroom like a crack of thunder.
She handed her champagne glass to a stunned waiter and stepped forward. The spotlight operator, sensing the drama, swung a bright beam of light directly onto her. The Crimson Abyss around her neck flashed with blinding intensity.
Julian's face went paper-white. "Elara, please. You're sick. Let Chloe take you home before you embarrass yourself further."
Chloe immediately rushed to the edge of the stage, holding her hands out. "Sister, please stop this! Everyone is staring!"
"I want them to stare," Elara said coldly. She didn't look at Chloe. She looked at Julian. "You aren't protecting my legacy, Julian. You are a fired, disgraced employee who is currently trespassing at an event funded by my company."
"I am the acting CEO!" Julian shouted, his carefully crafted mask slipping. "I control the board! You have no power here!"
Elara let out a soft, mocking laugh. It echoed through the microphone of a nearby reporter who had snuck into the ballroom.
"You don't have a board anymore, Julian," Elara said, her words dropping like anvils. "Directors Hayes and Miller sold their shares this morning. The others are currently under audit for embezzlement. And as of 10:00 AM today, I revoked every ounce of proxy power you held."
The ballroom erupted into chaos. Reporters were furiously typing on their phones. Businessmen were whispering frantically.
Julian gripped the podium, his knuckles turning white. "You're lying! You can't just revoke my proxy! We have a contract! We are engaged! Half of your assets are legally tied to me!"
"That is where you are wrong," Elara said smoothly.
She snapped her fingers.
In the back of the room, Liam, who had slipped into the A/V booth five minutes earlier, hit a button on the control board.
The massive digital screen behind Julian flickered. The Vance Corporation logo vanished. In its place, projected fifty feet wide for the entire city to see, was a high-resolution scan of a bright red document.
A marriage certificate.
Dated today.
Julian turned around. He stared at the massive screen, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. His eyes traced the two names printed in bold, black ink.
Wife: Elara Vance. Husband: Alexander Cross.
The silence in the ballroom was absolute. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Elara turned to Alexander. The ruthless billionaire didn't look angry that she was causing a scene. He looked deeply, thoroughly entertained.
Alexander stepped forward, walking slowly until he was standing right beside her. The crowd parted, terrified of getting too close to the blast radius. He wrapped a heavy, possessive arm around her waist, turning his dark, lethal gaze up to the man trembling on the stage.
"You heard my wife, Julian," Alexander's voice rumbled through the dead-silent room, low and terrifying. "She fired you. Now get off her stage, before I have my men drag you off it by your teeth."
Question to guide Chapter 10: Julian is utterly destroyed in the public eye now. For the next chapter, do you want the focus to shift to Chloe trying to manipulate her way out of the fallout, or do you want a steamy, private moment between Elara and Alexander back at the penthouse to celebrate her victory?