Chapter 6 - The Engagement Party
The ballroom glowed beneath crystal chandeliers as the sun lowered over Manhattan.
Guests drank champagne beside towering white flowers. A string quartet played near the windows. Bianca entered in a vivid red gown while Julian waited beneath the stage lights in a fitted navy suit.
They looked like the perfect couple.
Claire arrived early in the white dress Bianca had selected.
She checked every vendor, confirmed the staff had received payment, and made sure the guests were comfortable. She even repaired a broken clasp on Vanessa’s gold dress.
Vanessa did not thank her.
“You should avoid standing close to Bianca in photographs,” she said.
“I remember.”
Julian approached Claire shortly before the speeches.
“Did you handle the extension?”
“The venue has clear instructions.”
He smiled.
“You always come through.”
Claire looked at him carefully.
“Do you remember Dad’s last birthday?”
Julian blinked at the unexpected question.
“What?”
“You promised him you would protect me.”
“We were emotional.”
“He believed you.”
Julian lowered his voice.
“Not tonight, Claire.”
“No. Not tonight.”
She walked away.
During dinner, Bianca’s friends made jokes about Claire being unmarried and obsessed with work. Vanessa described Claire as the family accountant, ignoring that Claire was the company’s managing director.
Julian laughed along with them.
Then came the speeches.
Claire was not included on the original list, but one of the event coordinators quietly placed a microphone near her table.
At 6:03, Bianca raised her glass.
“To Julian,” she said, “the man who showed me that I never have to settle for less.”
Her eyes moved toward Claire.
“And to the people who must finally accept that this family is entering a new era.”
The guests applauded.
Claire stood.
Bianca noticed immediately.
“You are not giving a speech.”
Claire walked toward the stage.
Julian caught her arm for only a second before remembering the cameras around them and releasing her.
“Sit down,” he whispered.
Claire stepped onto the stage.
Bianca followed her, still holding a glass of Cabernet.
“You always need attention,” Bianca said.
Then she tipped the wine forward.
The ballroom gasped.
The stain spread down Claire’s white dress.
Bianca smiled.
May you like
Claire checked her phone.
6:04.
