The dress was empire-waisted, hiding the slight curve of my belly.

“You look beautiful,” Koko said, walking in and locking the door behind her.

She carried a small black case.

“Is the transmitter ready?” I asked.

“Yes,” Koko said, opening the case to reveal a tiny, skin-colored patch with a miniature microphone.

She carefully placed the patch just beneath my collarbone, hiding it under the lace of my dress.

“This will stream the audio directly to Andrew’s phone,” Koko explained. “He has bypassed the AV booth. He can patch the audio into the main ballroom speakers with one tap.”

“And Julian won’t be able to detect it?” I asked.

“It operates on an encrypted frequency,” Koko said. “Even if they sweep the room, they won’t find it.”

I nodded, looking at myself in the mirror.

My cheeks were flushed, but my eyes were determined.

“Let’s do this,” I said.

We walked out of the restroom and into the bustling lobby.

Waiters carrying trays of champagne glided past the guests.

I spotted Andrew standing near the grand staircase, talking to a group of older board members.