The Hoffman estate looked like something out of a magazine. String lights wrapped around every tree. Valets in black vests directing a parade of expensive cars. The kind of party where everyone dressed like they had something to prove.

I walked up the front steps with my bag on my shoulder and my phone fully charged in my pocket.

The door was open. Music drifted out. Laughter. The clink of champagne glasses. I stepped inside.

The foyer was massive. Marble floors. A chandelier that probably cost more than my apartment. People everywhere. Couples in cocktail attire. Groups clustered near the bar. Wait staff weaving through with trays of hors d'oeuvres.

I scanned the room.

Then I saw him.

Brady was standing near the far wall. Dark suit. That watch on his wrist catching the light. He was mid-sentence, laughing at something someone said. Then his eyes landed on me.

The laugh died. His face went white.

I watched it happen. Watched the color drain. Watched his mouth open slightly. Watched him freeze.

Goldie was beside him. White dress. Hair in soft curls. A diamond ring on her left hand that caught every light in the room. She turned to see what Brady was staring at.

Her smile collapsed. Just for a second. Then she pulled it back together. But I saw it. The crack.

Whispers started immediately. Heads turning. Voices dropping to murmurs.

Brady crossed the room. Fast. Smooth. Executive confidence back in place like he'd flipped a switch. He reached me before I'd taken three steps inside.

"Elaina." His voice was low. Urgent. He put his hand on my elbow and steered me toward the corner. Away from the crowd. "What are you doing here?"

I looked at him. "I was invited."

"No, you—" He stopped. Took a breath. Lowered his voice even more. "Listen. I know how this looks. But it's not what you think."

I didn't say anything.

"Goldie is helping me out," he said. His eyes were locked on mine. Sincere. Desperate. "My parents have been on me for years to settle down. You know that. This—" He gestured vaguely toward the party. "—this is just for them. It's optics. It doesn't mean anything."

I tilted my head. "Optics."

"Yes." He stepped closer. "I was going to tell you everything. I swear. I just needed to get through tonight. Get them off my back. Then we could go back to normal. You and me. Like always."

Goldie appeared beside him. Her eyes were wet. Her voice shook. "Elaina, please. You have to believe us. I would *never*—" She reached for my hand. "You're my *sister*. You know I love you. This is just—it's a misunderstanding. A stupid plan that got out of hand."

I looked at her hand on mine. At the ring. At her face.

"I know," I said.

Brady exhaled. Relief flooded his features. "Thank God. Okay. Let's just—let's go somewhere quiet and talk. We can—"

I pulled my hand back. "I know what this is."

I turned and walked away from both of them. Toward the center of the room.

Behind me, I heard Goldie's voice rise slightly. "Elaina, wait—"

I didn't wait.

I stopped near the bar. Set my bag down on an empty table. Took a breath.

The whispers were louder now. An older woman in pearls leaned toward her husband and said something I couldn't hear. A man in a navy suit shook his head. A younger couple near the door exchanged glances.

Then someone touched my arm.

I turned. An older woman. Soft gray hair. Kind eyes. One of the Hoffman family friends.

"Sweetheart," she said gently. "I don't know what's going on, but maybe this isn't the time. You're making a scene."

Another voice. A man this time. "Brady's a good kid. I'm sure there's an explanation."

A third. A neighbor. "Honey, you're embarrassing yourself."

I looked around. More faces. More murmurs. Goldie was across the room now, talking to a small group. Her voice carried just enough. "I'm so worried about her. This isn't like her at all."

Brady stood behind her. His arm around her shoulder. Protective. Concerned.

The whispers built. *Jealous. Unstable. Dramatic.*

I stood in the center of it all and didn't move.

Then I saw them.

Raymond Chu walked through the door. Two other executives behind him. He loosened his tie and scanned the crowd. His eyes found Brady. Then me. His expression didn't change.

Across the room, Saul Hoffman took his seat at the family table. Margo beside him, smoothing her dress. Both of them watching.

Arturo and Laney Perry settled into their chairs near the window. Arturo's hands folded on the table. Laney already looking toward Goldie with quiet pride.

Everyone who mattered was here.

I picked up my bag. Walked toward the AV setup near the far wall.

A young man in a vest stepped forward. "Ma'am, that's for the—"

"I know," I said. I pulled my phone from my bag. "I'm coordinating with the event planner. Just need to test the connection."

He hesitated. Then stepped aside.

I connected the cable. Opened the folder on my phone. Forty-three files. All labeled. All backed up.

I selected the first one.

The screen behind me flickered to life.