Chapter 5 - The Intercept
Claire moved without thinking, taking two hurried steps back toward the table, her hand reaching downward in a desperate bid to retrieve the small glass tube before anyone noticed it.
“Don’t touch it,” Victoria’s voice cut through the air, low and commanding.
Before Claire could reach the floor, Victoria leaned down with smooth, deliberate grace and swept the vial into her own manicured fingers. She stood tall once more, holding the clear glass up between them, her diamond rings catching the overhead light.
“What is this?” Victoria asked, her voice dropping an octave into a tone that sent a chill through the warm ballroom.
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Claire stopped mid-step, her hand left hanging uselessly in the air. Her breath hitched. The confident, calculating socialite was entirely gone; in her place stood a woman whose mind was racing to construct a lie fast enough to save her.
Near the ballroom doors, Emma remained on her knees, clutching her head, her dark eyes wide through her tears as she watched Victoria hold the item that had cost her everything to reveal.
