Ember POV:
Deafening laughter exploded around me. It echoed off the high ceilings and crashed into my ears.
I slowly relaxed my tightly clenched fists. The sharp sting in my palms woke my paralyzed brain. Growing up in the slums, physical pain was the only reliable way to force myself to stay awake and survive.
I took a slow, deep breath. The air tasted stale. I stepped forward in my four-inch heels, pushing through the crowd blocking my path.
The guests parted automatically. They moved away from me like I was a walking plague, their eyes dancing with cruel amusement.
I kept my eyes locked on Chace. He was still standing on the stage. Every step I took felt like walking barefoot on shattered glass. My father used to beat me for crying. I learned early that tears were just an invitation for more cruelty. I would not cry here.
Up on the stage, Karyn caught my movement. A dark, vicious gleam flashed in her eyes. She tilted her head, signaling her group of friends standing near the bottom of the stairs.
A woman in a tight purple dress shifted her weight. Just as I walked past her, she kicked her leg out. Her diamond-encrusted stiletto shot into my path.
My eyes were glued to Chace. I didn't see it coming.
My ankle slammed hard against the solid heel of her shoe. My balance vanished instantly.
I pitched forward. Gravity yanked me down. My bare knees crashed into the solid marble steps with a sickening, heavy thud.
Agony exploded up my legs, shooting straight into my spine. I bit down on my lower lip so hard I tasted iron. I refused to let a single sound escape my mouth.
The laughter in the room immediately jumped an octave. It turned into a roaring frenzy. I saw dozens of phone screens light up, all pointing down at my kneeling body.
I placed my hands flat against the freezing marble. I pushed my weight up, trying to stand. My right ankle flared with sharp, blinding pain. It was sprained. It couldn't hold my weight.
Karyn lifted the hem of her heavy red dress. She walked down the steps with agonizing slowness. She stopped right in front of me.
She looked down at me from her elevated position.
A soft, mocking giggle escaped her lips. She told me that even the way I fell looked cheap, like a street rat who couldn't handle wearing nice things.
I didn't blink. I didn't look at Karyn. I lifted my chin and stared directly at Chace, who was standing just behind her.
My throat felt like it was coated in sand. I forced the words out. I asked him why he was doing this. Why he had to humiliate me like this.
Chace’s brow furrowed. The muscles in his jaw ticked. He looked utterly annoyed by my presence, like I was a stain on his perfect night.
He slid both hands casually into his tailored pockets. He looked down at me with eyes that viewed me as nothing more than garbage.
His voice was flat and cold. He told me the game was over. He told me to recognize exactly where I stood in the food chain.
My chest caved in. Five years of bleeding for him, starving for him, fighting for him. And he dismissed it all as a finished game.
I pushed through the pain in my ankle. I forced myself to stand up straight, wobbling slightly before locking my knees. I looked him dead in the eye and told him I was leaving.
Chace let out a sudden, short laugh. The sound carried a chilling, bone-deep coldness.
He took a large step down the stairs. The tip of his polished leather shoe stopped a millimeter away from the toe of my heel. His massive frame blocked out the light, suffocating me.
He leaned down. His mouth hovered near my ear. He dropped his voice to a whisper that the cameras couldn't catch.
He said my mother's name. Liana.
My breath hitched. The memory of my mother dying in a filthy alleyway was the deepest, most infected wound in my soul.
My pupils dilated violently. Pure terror and boiling rage crashed together in my chest.
Chace watched the fear spread across my face. He smiled. He casually mentioned my father. He brought up the massive, crushing debt my father owed to the local loan sharks.
His whisper turned into a razor blade. He told me that if I dared to walk out of those double doors tonight, he would have the bulldozers flatten my mother’s grave by morning.
My blood turned to ice. My veins felt frozen solid. I stared at the man standing in front of me. I knew the shape of his jaw, the smell of his cologne, the exact rhythm of his breathing. But I was looking at a complete stranger. A monster.
Images of the gang enforcers finding my useless father flashed through my mind. I knew what they did to people who couldn't pay.
Chace straightened his back. He took a step away from me, smoothing the lapel of his jacket. He looked like the perfect, respectable billionaire again.
He looked down his nose at me.
"Stay in your place and be an obedient dog."
