Chapter 6 - Betrayal at the Gala
Two weeks later, the Gallow empire hosted its annual charity gala at the Grand Imperial Hotel—a massive black tie event designed to showcase their legitimate holdings to the city's political elite.
Norah sat beside Dominic at the head table in the grand ballroom.
She wore a floor length midnight blue silk dress that Dominic had personally chosen for her, her brown hair styled in soft waves over her shoulders.
For the first time in her life, she felt beautiful.
Dominic stayed close to her side all evening, his hand resting securely at the small of her back as he introduced her to senators, judges, and corporate executives as his personal financial director.
"You look stunning tonight," Dominic whispered into her ear while the orchestra played a slow waltz.
"I feel like a fraud," Norah admitted, smiling up at him. "I'm an auditor, not a socialite."
"You belong right here next to me," he said firmly.
Before she could reply, Viktor approached Dominic, bending down to whisper urgently in his ear. "Boss. The harbor ledger files... someone just triggered the emergency download protocol from the study at the estate."
Dominic’s expression instantly turned to stone. "Julian."
He looked at Norah, his eyes full of concern. "Stay here with Viktor. I need to take care of this immediately."
"Dominic, be careful," Norah pleaded, holding his sleeve.
"Always," he kissed her cheek quickly before striding out of the ballroom with four guards behind him.
Norah waited at the table, her heart heavy with anxiety.
Twenty minutes passed.
A server approached her table, placing a small folded note beside her glass.
Norah opened it.
The handwriting was jagged: Dominic was ambushed in the underground parking garage. Come down through the service elevator if you want to save him.
Norah’s blood ran cold.
Without thinking, without waiting for Viktor who had stepped away to speak with security, Norah rushed toward the service corridor behind the kitchen.
She took the heavy freight elevator down to level B3.
The doors slid open with a metallic groan into a dimly lit, damp parking cavern.
"Dominic?" she called out, her voice echoing off the concrete walls.
A sudden shadow lunged from behind a concrete pillar.
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A cloth soaked in sweet chloroform was slammed over her nose and mouth.
Norah fought, kicking her heels against the floor, but the world rapidly spun into blackness.
