Shattered Secrets

I entered the ballroom shining with elegance as the soft sound of the violin music seemed to fade into the air and the waiters moved around the guests, offering a glass of champagne to guests. The overhead sparkles of the chandeliers cast a warm golden light on the wealthy crowd, all dressed in luxury.

"Hmmm," I exhaled heavily as I proceeded amidst the wealthy society.

The women dressed glittered and giggled quietly at their partner's comments; the men were dressed in sleek designer suits and shared understanding looks.

To an outsider looking in, it seemed like a world of perfection. But to me, Emily Carter, the glittering scene was just nothing but a mask for the power and deceit games beneath it, and here I am to expose it all.

I wore a deep green gown that perfectly shaped my body beautifully, with my raven-black hair styled in a sleek bun, making me look like I belonged to the circle I secretly hated. Even though the dress wasn't mine, and the same as the costly jewelry on me, no one could have guessed that it wasn't mine.

"Are you ready for this, Emily?" I whispered to myself, my heart racing, sensing the purpose of my mission being in the midst of the cruel society.

Every step of mine was deliberate with a sense of purpose as my gaze locked on one man: Alexander Wolfe, the reason I was here, to bring him down, and ruin him completely.

From the other side of the room, Alexander looked cold and seemed just as unapproachable and intimidating as I had imagined. His tall statue and imposing figure were noticeable and commanded respect.

His perfectly tailored black suit highlighted his sharp, well-defined features, with his slicked-back dark hair, and his cold blue eyes seemed to catch everything happening around him at once. His looks were like predator, calm, and in control, surrounded by people who seemed unaware of the power he held, leaving me more certain of the danger he represented.

Alexander Wolfe-the man who had shattered my world. My father had once trusted him, he believed in the promise of a lucrative partnership, and then a deal gone sour had bankrupted my family. My father lost his company, his reputation, and finally, his will to live. He disappeared into the shadows of our ruined home, leaving me to pick up the pieces. It was years of plotting and planning, and now it was time.

As I drew closer to him, My breath stuck in my throat, my heart racing as it echoed and rhymed with my footsteps.

My father's voice echoed in my memory, a pained whisper in the shadows of our once-thriving home. "Promise me, Emily. Promise me you'll make him pay."

"Focus,"

I ordered myself. This was not a time for emotion. Tonight, I wasn't Emily Carter, the broken girl out for revenge. Tonight, I was a heiress: confident and powerful. I hesitated for a brief second; my thoughts were overtaken by painful memories.

I could still remember vividly how my father sat down in that darkened living room, once a successful businessman now ruined like an empty shell.

His face was worn with defeat, his voice hoarse and cracked as he spoke in agony, "I trusted him, Emily; I thought he was a friend." The weight of the words continuously echoed in my mind.

Those words had left a deep wound, regrets, and heartache in my heart-the heartbreak in my father's eye that was impossible to forget. Those words of my father sparked a fire inside me.

It was the fire fueled by my father's ruin that had pushed me to this extent, determined to comfort the man behind my father's downfall. "For you, Dad." I swallowed hard, forcing the memory away as I straightened my back and made my heart steady. It wasn't until I was near enough to make out the sharp angles of Alexander's jaw before I spoke at last, my tone light, practiced, and flirtatious.

"Mr Wolfe?" I called out softly, Slowly, he turned to me, his steel-blue eyes alighting on me. Something flickered for one second in his gaze-maybe recognition? But it was gone just as quickly. He gave a polite smile, his gaze as cold and calculated as the man himself.