CHAPTER 43Unknown
Unknown
A cool breeze drifted through the open glass doors, offering the crowded ballroom a brief, natural respite from the stifling heat of packed bodies and too much motion.
At the open bar, the line never seemed to shorten, guests endlessly returning for more, their thirst insatiable. But no drink could ease the dryness they felt tonight.
This wasn’t a thirst of the ordinary kind.
It was something deeper. Hungrier.
No substance on earth could cool the fury in their veins—the parched, unforgiving ache of being robbed of what they had earned.
It clawed at their mind, a maddening, festering frustration that blurred the line between anger and insanity. And maybe…there was no line left at all.
Their gaze never strayed far from Aurelia, tracking her every graceful step as she moved toward the stage. The sight of her in that shimmering gown— a gown she didn’t deserve —made their fingers clench tightly around their drink like a vice.
She had taken everything .
Every secret she kept, every lie she lived…she took what belonged to them.
They drew in a slow, deliberate breath, masking the storm that churned just beneath the surface.
From the shadowed edge of the ballroom, they nursed their drink and watched as Aurelia made her way toward the DJ booth, ready to take the stage, oblivious to the eyes tracking her every step.
A predator stalking its prey.
Soon. Very soon .