Pale yellow liquid pooled around her silver designer shoes, but she did not even look down.

Her face was drained of all color, her mouth hanging slightly open.

Next to her, Claire was clutching her pearls so hard the string looked ready to snap.

“No,” Claire muttered, her voice carrying through the sudden hush of the nearby tables. “That’s impossible. That’s just Maya.”

Daniel looked as if the floor had opened up beneath him.

His chest rose and fell in rapid, shallow breaths.

His hands shook at his sides, his fingers twitching against the fabric of his trousers.

I took the microphone from the stand, the metal cold against my palm.

“Good evening, everyone,” I said, my voice projecting clearly through the high-end speakers.

“Thank you for joining us tonight at Lotus Bay.”

“For the past five years, I have watched this resort grow from behind the scenes.”

“Tonight marks a new chapter, not just for the property, but for every partnership we hold.”

I looked directly at Daniel as I spoke the word *partnership*.

His eyes locked onto mine, filled with a mixture of terror and sudden, desperate realization.