Chapter 12 - The Poisoned Gala
The Grand Metropolitan Ballroom was a swirling sea of gold leaf,
crystal chandeliers,
and suffocating arrogance.
Hundreds of powerful figures from politics,
finance,
and the underworld milled about the polished marble floor,
clinking champagne flutes and exchanging fake smiles.
At the center of the main floor sat Don Vito Vance,
an eighty-year-old patriarch with silver hair,
cold blue eyes,
and a reputation for ordering executions with a simple nod of his head.
Beside him sat his daughter,
Lady Beatrice Vance,
a tall,
slender woman dripped in diamonds who looked down her nose at everyone who passed.
When the heavy doors opened,
the low murmur of conversation sputtered out like a dying flame.
Dominic Vale entered the ballroom.
He looked magnificent,
wearing a tailor-made double-breasted tuxedo in midnight navy,
his imposing stature commanding instant attention.
Beside him,
escorted on his arm,
was Ruby Bennett.
She wore a breathtaking,
custom crimson silk gown that hugged her voluptuous silhouette,
draping dramatically down to the floor with a high leg slit that revealed her confident stride.
Her neck was adorned with a single heavy gold pendant,
and her thick,
dark curls fell in luscious waves down her back.
She did not walk like a woman trying to blend in;
she walked like she owned every square inch of the room.
Whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"Is that the maid?"
"Look at her curves,
how ostentatious."
"Dominic has lost his mind."
Ruby heard every whisper,
felt every judgment,
yet her head remained held high,
her dark eyes gleaming with quiet power.
Dominic felt the tension in her arm,
leaning in close to whisper in her ear.
"You are the most beautiful woman in this room,
" he murmured,
his voice smooth and warm.
"I don't care about their opinion,
Dominic,
" she whispered back with a smirk.
"I'm just counting how many of these ladies are holding their breath trying to fit into their dresses."
Dominic swallowed a sudden burst of genuine laughter,
leading her straight toward Don Vance's elevated table.
Don Vance stared down at them,
his icy blue eyes narrowing as Dominic stopped before him.
"Dominic,
" Don Vance said,
his voice dry like crumbling parchment.
"You bring an unexpected guest to the Commission's table."
"This is Ruby Bennett,
" Dominic stated clearly,
his voice carrying across the immediate circle of mob bosses.
"She is my partner."
Lady Beatrice let out a soft,
cruel laugh,
resting her diamond-encrusted hand against her throat.
"Partner?" Beatrice sneered,
looking Ruby up and down with obvious disgust.
"I heard she was a housekeeper you picked up off the street."
"Tell me,
my dear,
does Dominic pay you double to clean his floors and entertain him at night?"
The surrounding crowd gasped softly,
waiting for the drama to unfold.
Dominic’s jaw clenched tightly,
his hand reaching toward his inner jacket pocket,
his eyes turning into murderous coals.
Before Dominic could speak,
Ruby held up a gentle hand,
stopping him.
She stepped forward,
locking eyes directly with Beatrice,
smiling with cool,
absolute confidence.
"Lady Beatrice,
is it?" Ruby asked,
her voice smooth,
melodious,
and rich with authority.
"I do clean floors,
yes."
"It teaches you how to recognize garbage when it speaks."
A sharp intake of breath echoed through the surrounding elite.
Beatrice’s face flushed bright red with sudden humiliation.
"How dare you—" Beatrice began,
standing up.
"And as for entertaining Mr. Vale,
" Ruby continued smoothly,
cutting her off without raising her voice,
"I sing to him."
"I give him something real to listen to in a room full of fake praise and silent cowardice."
"Perhaps if you spent less time judging other women's bodies and more time finding a real voice,"
"you wouldn't look so miserable in that expensive dress."
Don Vance stared at Ruby in complete silence for three agonizing seconds.
Then,
slowly,
a thin,
unpredictable smile stretched across the old man’s weathered face.
He raised his glass toward Ruby.
"Well spoken,
young lady,
" Vance rasped,
May you like
his eyes glinting with strange amusement.
"It seems Dominic found someone with real iron in her blood."
