Chapter 1 - The Glass I Was Never Supposed to Touch
A champagne glass slipped from my tray as I lunged toward Victor Romano.
“Don’t drink it!”
Victor turned just as my fist struck his hand away.
The glass shattered against the marble floor.
His security chief grabbed me.
Then Victor looked down at the broken glass.
And everything changed.
Six hours earlier, I had been changing sheets on the twelfth floor of the Grandeur Hotel when Mrs. Chen came looking for me.
“Lena, you’re covering the ballroom tonight.”
I stared at her.
“The gala?”
She nodded.
“Marissa called in sick. We’re short one server.”
“I’ve never worked a gala.”
“You know how to carry a tray.”
She handed me a black vest.
That was apparently enough.
I took the vest without arguing because I needed the money.
My mother’s medical bills were already spread across our kitchen table like a second unpaid mortgage. My younger brother Daniel had been trying to help, but he was fifteen and should have been worrying about homework, not medicine schedules.
My phone buzzed.
Mama’s breathing is hard today. I gave her the medicine. When will you come?
I swallowed.
Before midnight. I love you both.
I put the phone away and changed.
By seven, I was walking into the grand ballroom.
I had never seen so much gold in one room.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Hundreds of guests wore tuxedos and evening gowns. Waiters moved between tables carrying silver trays.
Then Victor Romano entered.
The room seemed to notice him.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in black, with dark hair slicked neatly backward and a trimmed beard. He walked beside Clara Whitmore, his elegant blonde fiancée.
Behind them came Leon Mercer, Victor’s longtime adviser.
And several steps away stood Dmitri, Victor’s security chief.
Marcus, another server, leaned toward me.
“That’s Victor.”
“I know.”
“You really don’t want to make a mistake tonight.”
“I won’t.”
For the next hour, I served champagne and tried to disappear.
Then I heard something.
I was refilling glasses at table eighteen when Clara stepped closer to Leon.
“During the toast,” Leon whispered.
“That’s when it happens.”
I froze.
Clara noticed me.
For one second, her smile disappeared.
Then it returned.
“Thank you,” she said sweetly.
I walked away.
Maybe I had misunderstood.
Maybe they were talking about the auction.
Maybe they were talking about fireworks.
I wanted to believe that.
Then I saw the special glass.
It was sitting alone on a small silver tray.
Its stem carried a tiny red mark.
Marcus noticed me staring.
“That one belongs to Victor.”
“Why is it separate?”
“Leon brought it.”
My stomach tightened.
Dmitri approached.
“I’ll check it.”
He reached for the glass.
Before he could touch it, Victor stepped forward.
His fingers closed around the stem.
He lifted it.
My mind went blank.
I saw Clara watching.
I saw Leon watching.
I saw Dmitri watching.
And I remembered the words.
During the toast.
That’s when it happens.
I dropped everything I was holding.
“Wait!”
Victor turned.
The glass was already near his mouth.
I moved before I could think.
I struck his hand.
The champagne flew.
Crystal exploded across the marble.
Dmitri grabbed me and forced my arms behind my back.
People screamed.
Victor stared at me.
There was no anger in his face yet.
Only disbelief.
“Why?” he asked.
I struggled to breathe.
“Because that glass was prepared for you.”
Victor looked down at the broken champagne.
Then he looked at Clara.
She hadn't moved.
I pointed toward Leon.
“He brought it.”
Leon’s expression hardened.
Victor looked back at me.
“What exactly are you accusing them of?”
Before I could answer, Dmitri’s radio crackled.
“Boss.”
Everyone went silent.
Dmitri touched his earpiece.
A voice came through.
“We found another glass in the kitchen.”
Dmitri’s eyes narrowed.
The voice continued.
“It has Lena Hart’s fingerprints all over it.”
May you like
Victor slowly looked at me.
And I realized someone had just turned my warning into a crime.
