Chapter Two
Champagne & Secrets
The party was everything the society pages would rave about by morning.
Crystal chandeliers bathed the ballroom in a warm, opulent glow, and the curated guest list sparkled with the city’s most powerful elites.
Waiters in black vests carried flutes of champagne on silver trays, and a jazz trio played soft, elegant notes that floated above the hum of polite laughter and whispered gossip.
Cassie moved through the crowd like she belonged because she did. Her custom navy silk gown hugged her in all the right places, her dark hair swept into an effortless twist. A smile played on her lips, the practiced kind that softened her features without revealing too much.
From across the room, Harper Linwood watched her.
"You’re smiling like a woman in love," Harper murmured as she handed Cassie a fresh glass of champagne.
Cassie took it, sipped. "That’s the idea, isn’t it?"
Harper tilted her head, studying her. "You’re always so put-together, Cass. Almost too put-together."
Cassie didn’t answer. Instead, her eyes scanned the room until they found Damien. He stood near the bar with Leo Durant, laughing at something a man said. But there was a tension in his shoulders, a stiffness in his smile.
And then, the subtle shift: Damien excused himself, weaving toward the hallway behind the ballroom.
Cassie’s eyes narrowed.
She didn’t follow. Not right away. Instead, she waited, counted to twenty, then murmured to Harper, "I’ll be right back."
She walked slowly, her heels silent against the carpeted corridor. At the far end, the door to the coatroom stood ajar. Light spilled into the hallway. Voices filtered through, muffled.
Cassie paused. Heard Damien’s voice. Slurred, low.
"You know I love you... always have."
Her stomach twisted.
"I just... tonight's hard, okay? It’s her anniversary, not ours."
A pause.
"Yeah... yeah. I wish I could be with you instead."
Cassie felt the blood drain from her face. Her body froze, every cell screaming denial.
Then came the clincher, "I’ll leave her soon. I just need a little more time."
Kelly’s voice was faint but unmistakable on the other end. Laughing. Mocking.
Cassie took a step back, heart hammering.
She didn’t cry. Didn’t collapse. She simply turned around, each movement deliberate, composed.
When she returned to the ballroom, Harper caught the flicker of something in her eyes.
"What happened?"
Cassie handed her the half-drunk champagne. "I think I need something stronger."
She smiled.
But this time, Harper noticed her smile didn’t reach her eyes.