Chloe made a small sound.
Julian rounded on her.
“Be quiet.”
That was when the last thread between them snapped.
Chloe’s humiliation turned instantly into survival.
“Don’t speak to me like that,” she whispered.
Julian ignored her, but she was no longer the adoring woman on his arm. Her eyes sharpened, calculating the distance between herself and disaster.
Arthur noticed.
So did Evelyn.
So did I.
The gala did not explode all at once. It unraveled.
A donor asked for his pledge card back.
A reporter stepped into the hall and began speaking rapidly into her phone.
The Apex chairman ordered the charity screen shut off, but it was too late. The video had already been recorded by half the room.
Julian’s CFO returned, sweating now.
“Julian,” he said hoarsely, “the lender is freezing the credit line pending review.”
Julian stared at him.
“They can’t do that.”
