y mother' s fiercely loyal executive assistant. He'

appeared, Chloe clinging to his arm,

mommy to bail you out

I said, keeping my voice level. "T

ze to Chloe!" he insis

y by a pretty face feigning distress. Chloe, n

g to apologize

n lunged, not for m

gry. He knocked the phone from my hand.

" I pro

abbed my arm. "You' r

ull away. "L

htened. "Not

gle, he shov

my heel catching on th

, a

n the dess

me. A sharp pain shot through my wrist as I hit the e

some corners of the ro

hands flying to her mouth.

horror was

isfaction on his face. My dress was ruined, sticky with frosting, a

rned, hotter than

materialized at my

m anchor in the chaos. He helped me

t you out

acating, already spinning the narrative for the remaining guest

welled again, a l

he silence was a relief. Mr. Davies

id, when the c

ousands of miles away, was as clear a

s happened? Davies

Ethan' s public condemnation, the shove, the dessert table, the cut

other end, a dangerous, c

Victoria finally asked, h

es

allowed this.

d I apologi

eat... it seems my 'illness' might be

lief so strong, my k

oice now like chilled steel. "And when I get

threat, all in