The Thorne Heiress Unveiling Shadow novel Chapter 24

From his vantage point on the balcony, Kaelen Blackwood observed the entire fiasco with a cold, detached amusement. He watched as Aria was publicly dismantled, not by a physical blow, but by the quiet, surgical words of an expert. He saw the digital fallout begin in real-time as he scrolled through the trending #SuttonSuperfake hashtag on his own phone, a small, cruel smile touching his lips.

He saw the panic in Richard Sutton's eyes and the theatrical swoon of Caroline. He saw Aria, abandoned and exposed, looking like a broken doll in her now-infamous dress.

This, he realized, was the perfect moment. The moment of maximum leverage he had been waiting for. The Suttons were not just wounded; they were mortally wounded, their social standing bleeding out on the floor of the Met. It was time to deliver the final, killing blow.

He placed his empty whiskey glass on a passing waiter's tray and straightened his tuxedo jacket. With a quiet word to Marcus, who nodded once in understanding, Kaelen descended the private staircase to the main floor.

The crowd parted for him as he moved, the whispers and laughter dying down in his presence. He walked with an unhurried, predatory grace, his destination the small stage at the front of the hall where the foundation's chairman was about to give a speech.

He ascended the steps and took the microphone from the startled chairman.

"Good evening," Kaelen's voice, amplified by the speakers, washed over the room, instantly commanding absolute silence. "As a proud sponsor of the Children's Foundation, I want to thank you all for your generosity tonight."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the sea of expectant faces. He saw the Suttons, huddled together, looking up at him with a desperate, pathetic glimmer of hope. Perhaps he was going to defend them, to dismiss the rumors.

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