Chapter 5 - The Metropolitan Gala
The transformation was absolute.
By 7:00 PM, a team of stylists selected by Victor had arrived at the apartment. They swept Lena’s dark hair up into an elegant, vintage roll, leaving delicate tendrils to frame her face. They applied minimal makeup, highlighting her high cheekbones and striking grey-green eyes.
The dress was a masterpiece of black velvet—off-the-shoulder, fitting her slim frame with tailored perfection, dropping into a dramatic train that swept the floor. Around her neck, Victor had personally fastened a collar of teardrop diamonds that felt heavy and cool against her collarbone.
When Lena stepped into the living room, Victor was waiting. He wore a traditional black tuxedo, looking striking and formidable.
He stopped when he saw her. For two full seconds, the mafia chief lost his stoic composure. His eyes lingered on her face, taking in the startling, noble beauty that had been hidden beneath a hotel uniform.
"You clean up well, Miss Hart," Victor said, his voice dropping into a low, quiet timbre.
"I feel like an imposter," Lena admitted, touching the diamonds at her throat.
"In that room tonight, everyone is an imposter," Victor replied, offering her his arm. "At least your hands are clean."
They arrived at the Metropolitan Club at 8:30 PM in a armored black Bentley.
When Victor walked through the mahogany doors with Lena on his arm, the atmosphere in the grand foyer shifted instantly. Whispers rippled through the gathered elite like wind through dry leaves. Everyone in Manhattan knew about the attempt on Victor’s life four days ago; nobody expected him to appear at a public event with an unknown, breathtaking woman on his arm instead of his fiancée.
Clara Whitmore stood near the central marble staircase, wearing a emerald green gown. She held a glass of white wine, surrounded by three young socialites.
When her eyes fell on Victor and Lena, her grip tightened on her glass so hard the stem nearly snapped.
"Victor," Clara said, stepping away from her group and walking toward them, her voice forced and bright. "You came. We were all so worried after... after the terrible incident at the Grandeur."
Her eyes shifted to Lena, scanning the black velvet dress, the teardrop diamonds, and the quiet, posture of the woman beside her fiancé.
"And who is your charming companion?" Clara asked, her tone dripping with veiled contempt.
"You don't recognize her, Clara?" Victor asked smoothly, his hand resting securely over Lena’s on his arm. "This is Miss Lena Hart. The woman who recognized the cyanide in my glass before it reached my lips."
Clara’s face flickered—a micro-expression of pure, unadulterated shock followed immediately by an icy, defensive glare.
"The... maid?" Clara murmured, her voice losing its polite polish. "Victor, surely you aren't bringing service staff as your date to a memorial gala?"
"Miss Hart is not service staff anymore, Clara," Victor said, his dark eyes locking onto hers with terrifying weight. "She is my personal advisor on security matters. And as it turns out, her instincts regarding loyalty are far superior to those of people I have known for years."
Clara swallowed hard, her chest heaving slightly under her emerald silk bodice. "Victor, we need to speak privately. About our wedding arrangements—"
"Our wedding is postponed indefinitely," Victor interrupted coldly, his voice audible to the five nearby guests who had leaned in to listen. "Until I finish cleaning my house."
Clara gasped, stepping back as if she had been slapped.
Lena watched Clara's hands. The young socialite reached into her small clutch purse, her fingers fumbling with a small, gold-encrusted mobile phone.
She's making a call, Lena realized. Just like Victor predicted.
May you like
"Excuse me," Clara choked out, turning on her heel and hurrying toward the private corridor leading to the ladies' retiring rooms.
Victor leaned down toward Lena, his dark eyes gleam in the soft light of the wall sconces. "Dmitri has tapped the local cell tower," Victor whispered. "Let us see who Clara calls when her world falls apart."
