Chapter 4
Zachary clenched his jaw.
"Relax, Amy. I'm going to a high-end gala tonight. Plenty of bigwigs are going to be there. If I can smooth things over with that sponsor, school won't even be an issue. I'll just buy you a place in the right district.
"Dress up tonight and come with me. Rebecca's completely out of place for an event at this level anyway."
…
At 8:00 pm, the top-floor ballroom of Hotel Vinda was already filled with people.
The research institute had reserved the entire venue for its annual academic fundraising gala.
Zachary walked in wearing a rented suit, bringing Amelia along with him. She had clearly put effort into her appearance, wearing a revealing red evening gown as she held onto his arm, her eyes wandering across the room.
"Zachary, this place is incredible," she said. "I've never been anywhere like this before."
He lifted his chin, pleased with himself. "This is nothing. Once I secure funding for my project, we'll be in places like this all the time."
Zachary picked up a glass of champagne and began scanning the room for Winston. His only mission that night was to get an introduction to the mysterious sponsor and apologize.
At that moment, the ballroom doors opened.
I walked in wearing a fitted black evening gown with Linda at my side. My hair was styled neatly, and my decolletage was adorned with an eight-million-dollar diamond necklace.
The moment Zachary saw me, his eyes widened.
He rubbed his eyes, as if he thought he was seeing things, and after confirming it was really me, his expression immediately darkened.
He strode over, lowering his voice to a furious whisper. "Rebecca, are you out of your mind? What are you doing here?"
Amelia followed closely behind, her gaze sweeping over me. A flicker of jealousy flashed across her eyes before she quickly smoothed it over.
"Rebecca, why would you dress like that and come here? This is a high-end gala hosted by the research institute. You can't get in without an invitation. Did you sneak in?"
Zachary pointed a trembling finger at me, his face flushing with rage.
"Get the hell out of here right now! Do you have any idea how important tonight is? I'm meeting with a billionaire sponsor, yet you're standing here, dressed like some cheap socialite. Are you trying to make me look bad on purpose?"
I met his frantic gaze with cold indifference. "It's none of your business how I got in. Besides, if you're allowed to be here, why wouldn't I be?"
His jaw tightened. "You're just a housewife who's been living off of me. What gives you the right to be here?"
He demanded, "Security! Where's security? Someone snuck in without an invitation. Get her out of here!"
His voice carried across the room and immediately drew attention. Several security guards rushed over.
Zachary pointed at me and, with an air of authority, said, "She doesn't have an invitation. Remove her before she disturbs the VIPs!"
The guards looked between Zachary and me.
At that moment, a furious voice cut through the crowd. "Zachary Sanders, what the hell are you doing?"
Winston pushed his way through the crowd, sweating as he rushed over. He was moving so quickly that he almost stumbled.
The moment Zachary saw him, he immediately put on a sycophantic smile. "Mr. Yates, perfect timing. This is my wife. She's clearly unstable and snuck in here to cause trouble. I was just having the guards escort her out so she doesn't interfere with your meeting with the sponsor."
The color drained from Winston's face as soon as he heard that.
Without saying a single word, he swung his hand and delivered a slap across Zachary's face.
The force of the blow sent Zachary stumbling back. He clutched his cheek, staring at Winston in total confusion.
"Mr. Yates, why did you hit me?"
Winston didn't even look at him. Instead, he turned to me and greeted me with utmost respect, "Ms. Tanner, you're here."
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