Chapter 6 - The Lioness at the Drake
The Grand Ballroom of the Drake Hotel glittered under gold-leaf ceilings. Celeste Vane held court at the center of the room, wearing mourning black that fooled absolutely nobody.
Evelyn walked into the gala dressed in a backless, midnight-navy silk gown, her hair swept up to hide the small earpiece humming against her jaw. Lorenzo’s voice came through the wire—steady, low, guiding her movements.
Posing as a junior associate with the municipal port authority, Evelyn glided into Celeste’s inner circle. When an attendant passed with champagne, Evelyn staged a deliberate stumble, spilling two drops of bubbly over Celeste’s lace cuff—a mirror of the restaurant’s blunder.
“Watch it, you clumsy idiot,” Celeste hissed, turning in disgust.
“Forgive me, Miss Vane,” Evelyn whispered softly, dabbing at the fabric with a napkin while her left hand smoothly extracted the encrypted keycard from Celeste’s open purse.
As Evelyn stepped back, Celeste’s eyes narrowed, suddenly catching the profile of the woman who had ruined her ambush. “Wait... you.”
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“North exit is clear tonight, Celeste,” Evelyn murmured, turning on her heel and melting into the crowd.
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