Chapter 83 – The Night of Fire and Silence
Rina
The night shimmered in gold.
Every inch of the ballroom glittered like a dream born from starlight the kind of place where whispers carried weight and gazes could slice through silk. I stood near the edge of the grand hall, where golden drapes touched polished marble floors, and chandeliers hung like captured galaxies above our heads.
It was the Elite Charity Ball an event that belonged to the powerful, the wealthy, and the dangerously well-connected. And somehow, me, Rina Hale, perfumer, designer, single mother of twins, now stood among them.
My gown was a soft champagne hue that kissed my skin like liquid light. I had somehow designed it myself subtle, romantic, and effortlessly bold. The neckline curved delicately across my collarbone, the fabric whispering as I moved. The faint trace of my new fragrance, Whispers of Dusk, lingered around me floral with a bite of cedar and amber.
