The ballroom smelled of expensive perfume and hypocrisy.
When Eleonora walked in, the conversation died. Heads turned. They were waiting for the breakdown. They wanted to see the bankrupt girl cry.
She kept her chin high. The modified dress exposed her spine, a line of vulnerability that was actually a trap.
Julian spotted her. He was wearing a white tuxedo, standing next to Tiffany, who was draped in diamonds that probably weren't insured.
Tiffany laughed loudly. "Sister! Are you here to beg for the buffet leftovers?"
A ripple of laughter went through the crowd.
Eleonora didn't stop. She walked straight up to them.
Julian smiled, smug and oily. He extended a hand. "El. If you apologize nicely, I might write you a check."
Eleonora ignored his hand. She pulled her phone from her clutch and shoved the screen into his face.
The video played. The cemetery. The car. The moan.
Julian's face went the color of ash. He lunged for the phone.
Eleonora stepped back smoothly. She knew the risks. Publicly airing this was a declaration of war, a messy, low-brow tactic. But it was also a checkmate. It was designed to create a public spectacle so toxic that the Stark board would have no choice but to see Julian as a liability she was offering to clean up. It was an audition for Alden. "This video has already been sent to the Stark Family Trust's compliance officer. And a copy is on its way to the SEC, detailing your misuse of trust funds."
"You're crazy," Julian hissed, his voice trembling. "That's a family scandal! The stock will drop!"
"That's a Stark problem," Eleonora said, her voice cool and light. "Not a Compton problem. Oh, and Tiffany?"
She turned to her stepsister. "The UPenn Alumni Association was very interested in your forged transcripts. I believe they're opening an inquiry tomorrow."
Tiffany let out a strangled squeak. She grabbed Julian's arm. "Do something!"
Julian grabbed Eleonora's wrist. His grip was painful. "You bitch-"
Eleonora didn't pull away. She pointed with her free hand to the ceiling. "Cameras, Julian. Journalists everywhere. Go ahead. Hit me. Tomorrow's headline: 'Stark Heir Assaults Ex-Fiancée.'"
Julian froze. He looked around. He saw the eyes. He saw the lenses.
He dropped her hand like it burned him.
Eleonora stepped closer. She reached out and straightened his bow tie. "Consider our accounts settled. Thoroughly."
She turned. Her black skirt swirled around her legs like smoke. She walked away, leaving them shivering in the middle of the heated room.
Up on the mezzanine, behind one-way glass, Alden watched.
"Is that what you wanted, sir?" Almus asked.
Alden finished his drink. "She's more ruthless than I thought. Good."
Eleonora exited the ballroom. Her legs gave out. She leaned against the wall in the corridor, gasping for air. Her hands were shaking so hard she dropped her clutch.
A hand appeared, holding a white handkerchief.
She looked up. Almus Sharpe.
"Mr. Stark is pleased with your performance," the lawyer said. "Tomorrow, 9 AM. Come to sign."
Eleonora took the handkerchief. She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. "Tell him I'll be there."
Julian burst into the hallway behind them. "You think this is over? You think you won?"
Eleonora didn't look back. She walked to the exit.
She took a cab to her apartment. When she got there, the door was ajar. The lock had been drilled out.
Inside, her few belongings were trashed. A message was spray-painted on the wall: WE OWN YOU.
It wasn't Julian. It was her father. The war had just begun.
