Whispers rippled through the banquet hall as I made my entrance.
"Who is that? Since when does Harbor City have someone like her?"
"My God, is that Anna Pruitt? The stand-in?"
"Impossible. Her entire aura has changed."
I ignored the noise, gaze fixed ahead as I cut through the crowd.
Henry spotted me instantly. His pupils constricted, stunned amazement curdling into rage.
"Anna Pruitt." He stepped into my path. "What are you doing here? This isn't a place for someone like you." His voice rose. "Security! Since when do we let trash through the front door?"
Amelia was quick to join. She covered her mouth in feigned shock. "Annie? Did you blow through your demolition money already? Here hunting for a new... sponsor?"
Sugary tone. Venomous implication: I was here to sell myself.
Low chuckles rippled through the crowd.
Before I could retort, a strong arm circled my waist, pulling me against a firm chest.
"Ms. Pruitt is my distinguished guest." The deep voice silenced the room. "Do you have an objection, Mr. Sanchez?"
I turned and found myself drowning in eyes as dark as the ocean.
Caleb Delgado.
The apex predator of Harbor City. The man at the very tip of the pyramid. Henry's mortal enemy. And, as I'd learned too late in my past life, the silent benefactor who'd protected me from the shadows until the bitter end.
Henry's face drained of color. In this circle, wealth was power, and no one dared disrespect Caleb Delgado.
"Mr. Delgado," he stammered. "Why... why are you here?"
Caleb didn't spare him a glance. He lowered his head, his cold gaze softening as it settled on me. "Why didn't you wait for me?"
My heart skipped. Good actor, I thought. But I know an opportunity when I see one. If the most powerful man in the city was offering his arm, I wasn't letting go.
I leaned into him, hooking my arm through his as I arched a brow at Henry.
"Mr. Sanchez was just asking why I'm here." A cold smile played on my lips. "Nothing major. I came to notify you that I've signed the Deep Bay project."
The blood left Henry's face completely. His Adam's apple bobbed, but no words came.
"Impossible!" he finally shrieked. "I already discussed that with Aiden Lambert!"
I reached into my handbag and produced a contract copy, waving it before his eyes.
"My offer was thirty percent higher, paid in full." My voice was crisp. "Aiden Lambert knows which side to choose."
The hall erupted.
Paid in full. Tens of billions in liquid assets.
The crowd's gaze shifted. Mockery vanished, replaced by shock and awe.
Henry stared at the contract, eyes bloodshot. That project was his lifeline—and I'd snatched it without breaking a sweat.
Sensing the shift, Amelia grabbed a glass of red wine from a passing waiter and sashayed toward me.
"Annie is really amazing." Her voice trembled. "Let me toast to your success."
As she reached me, she stumbled—deliberate, calculated. The glass tilted, dark red liquid flying toward my chest.
The same old trick. She'd used it countless times to humiliate me while playing the clumsy innocent.
But I was no longer the Anna Pruitt who stood still and took it.
I sidestepped with practiced ease. As the wine hit the floor, I drove my heel into her knee.
"Ah!"
Amelia shrieked and dropped. Glass shattered. The wine she'd meant for me splashed across her pristine white dress.
She looked like a disaster.
"Oh my, Amy." I looked down with mock concern. "How careless. There's no need to kneel—I really can't accept such a grand gesture of submission."
Henry saw red. He rushed forward, hands raised. "Anna Pruitt! You did that on purpose!"
Before he could touch me, Caleb stepped forward, blocking his path like an immovable wall.
