The moment the door to Sloane's loft clicked shut behind them, Elba pulled out her phone.

She launched the discreet app, and the screen flickered to life, showing Landon's bedroom in real-time. It was empty, silent.

Sloane handed her a glass of warm milk. "Are you sure you want to watch this? It's going to hurt, El."

Elba's gaze was fixed on the screen, her eyes hard as diamonds. "I need to. I need this anger to burn away whatever's left of the past."

They didn't have to wait long. As the clock neared midnight, the bedroom door on the screen swung open. Landon and Seraphina stumbled in, wrapped around each other, their laughter loud and slurred with alcohol.

Sloane clapped a hand over her mouth, her face a mask of fury.

Landon pressed Seraphina against the door, his kisses sloppy. "I missed you," he mumbled into her neck.

Seraphina giggled, pushing him away playfully. "Not so fast. What if your fiancée, Elba, finds out? She'll be so angry."

A dismissive, ugly laugh escaped Landon's lips. "Her? That boring woman who's probably forgotten how to have fun in Europe? She doesn't know anything beyond what her family tells her to do."

The words were a physical blow. A fist of ice clenched in Elba's stomach. The hand holding her phone turned white at the knuckles.

"That ungrateful son of a bitch," Sloane growled under her breath.

On the screen, Seraphina wrapped her arms around Landon's neck, her voice a triumphant purr. "So when is she coming back? I'd hate for her to walk in on us."

"Who cares," Landon said with a careless shrug. "As long as she's back before the wedding. If it wasn't for the Knight family's shares, I would have ended things with her ages ago."

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping. "You're so much better, anyway. You know what a man wants. She's boring."

Hearing that, the last flicker of warmth in Elba's heart died. It was replaced by a cold, desolate emptiness.

The two on the screen began to undress each other. Sloane turned away, unable to watch. "This is disgusting. I can't."

But Elba didn't look away. Her face was a blank canvas, devoid of emotion. Her thumb moved with chilling precision, pressing the record button.

She needed this. The raw, undeniable proof.

They fell onto the bed, their vulgar words and movements broadcast live through the tiny speaker of her phone. Elba calmly adjusted the camera's digital zoom, ensuring the frame captured everything.

During their sordid encounter, Seraphina deliberately brought up Elba's name, making cruel comparisons, her voice dripping with contempt.

She even picked up the silver-framed engagement photo from the nightstand, laughing at the happy, oblivious woman smiling back from it.

Elba watched it all, feeling detached, as if her soul had floated out of her body. The pain was so immense it had transformed into something else entirely-pure, unadulterated hatred.

After recording ten minutes of the most damning footage, she stopped the recording. The video file was immediately encrypted and uploaded to her secure server.

She closed the app, tossed the phone onto the sofa, and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on her face again and again, the shock of the cold a welcome distraction.

Sloane followed her, a look of deep concern on her face, and handed her a soft towel.

Elba looked up, meeting her own reflection in the mirror. Her face was pale, but her eyes burned with a terrifyingly bright light.

"Sloane," she said, her voice steady and clear. "I need a ticket to the Sterling Family Charity Auction."

Sloane froze for a second, then understanding dawned in her eyes. "You want to do it... there? In front of everyone?"

"Yes, I'm going to show them this footage.I want everyone to see what kind of man they admire so much," Elba said, each word laced with venom. "I want them to see the heir to the Sterling fortune for what he truly is."

Sloane nodded, her expression hardening with resolve. "No problem. I have a friend in the press. I can get you in on her press pass."

Elba walked back into the living room and picked up her phone. She wasn't looking at the camera feed anymore. She was researching every detail of the Sterling Charity Auction-the floor plan, the schedule, and, most importantly, the name of the tech support company handling the event.

Her finger scrolled through the list of vendors. It stopped on the names of the technicians responsible for the lighting and the main projection screens.

A plan began to form in her mind, intricate and ruthless. A plan that would not just end her engagement, but would bring the entire Sterling family to its knees in public humiliation.