CHAPTER 2 — THE DEAL IS OFF
CHAPTER 2 — THE DEAL IS OFF
The ballroom buzzed with whispers.
Crystal chandeliers shimmered overhead.
A string quartet had stopped playing without anyone noticing.
Emily ignored every face in the room.
She looked only at the elderly butler standing near the entrance.
"Thomas."
His posture straightened immediately.
"Yes, Miss Emily."
The single phrase sent a ripple through the guests.
Not Mrs. Carter.
Not Mrs. Daniel Carter.
Miss Emily.
Her voice remained calm.
"Please call my father."
Thomas bowed.
"Right away."
Daniel scoffed.
"You're still playing games?"
Emily didn't answer him.
She watched as Thomas quietly stepped into the hallway and spoke into a secure phone.
Less than a minute later, he returned.
"He answered immediately."
Emily nodded once.
"Tell him..."
"...the deal is off."
Thomas hesitated.
"As you wish."
The room remained silent.
Daniel laughed.
"What deal?"
Vanessa smirked.
"She's trying to scare us."
But across the ballroom...
Several older business leaders had gone completely still.
One of them slowly lowered his champagne glass.
He whispered to another executive,
"Did she say... her father?"
May you like
The man beside him looked pale.
"I think I know who she is."
