Chapter 6 - The Charity Gala Shock
By November, the New York social season was in full swing.
The annual Metropolitan Museum Foundation Gala was the biggest event of the autumn calendar. Hundreds of billionaires, celebrities, politicians, and socialites gathered under the soaring glass roof of the Temple of Dendur, surrounded by reflecting pools and ancient Egyptian stone.
I stood beside Sebastian, wearing a custom sapphire-blue silk gown that clung to my figure perfectly, my hair styled in an elegant velvet updo secured with diamond pins. Around my neck hung a fifty-carat sapphire pendant that Sebastian had presented to me right before we left the penthouse.
“You look breathtaking, Mrs. Sterling,” Sebastian whispered into my ear as we paused for a barrage of flashing news cameras on the red carpet.
“You don't look too bad yourself, Mr. Sterling,” I smiled, leaning my head close to his shoulder.
Over the past two months, our relationship had grown increasingly intense. We spent almost every evening together. He listened to my legal cases with genuine interest, supported my career, and looked at me with a passion that made it harder and harder to pretend our marriage was just a legal contract. We still slept in separate bedrooms, but the tension between us was reaching a boiling point.
As we walked into the grand hall, sipping champagne, a sudden murmur rippled through the crowd near the main entrance.
I turned my head—and my hand froze around my champagne glass.
Walking into the gala, flanked by two middle-aged investors, was Ryan’s father, Richard Miller—a wealthy real estate developer from Connecticut—and right beside him was Ryan.
Ryan looked terrible. He had lost weight, his suit looked slightly loose, and his eyes were hollowed out with stress. But what shocked me was the person standing on his arm.
It wasn't Danielle.
It was a striking, wealthy twenty-two-year-old heiress named Chloe Kensington—the daughter of Manhattan’s biggest shipping mogul.
My stomach turned. Ryan had completely abandoned Danielle, scrubbed her from his life, and managed to worm his way onto the arm of another wealthy woman in a desperate bid to save his family’s business.
As Ryan scanned the room, his eyes caught mine. A flash of desperate hope lit up his face. He whispered something to Chloe, excused himself, and began marching directly toward Sebastian and me.
“Victoria,” Ryan said as he stopped three feet away, his voice laced with forced confidence. “Mr. Sterling.”
Sebastian didn't even turn his head, continuing to talk to a senator standing nearby, but I could feel the sudden, dangerous shift in his energy.
“What do you want, Ryan?” I asked, keeping my tone perfectly icy.
“I just wanted to say... you look incredible tonight, Vicki,” Ryan said, taking a small step closer, ignoring the dark look on my face. “Look... I know things between us ended badly. But I’m turning my life around. I cut ties with Danielle completely. The baby... well, we did a paternity test last week. It turns out it wasn't even mine. She was sleeping with her fitness trainer behind my back the whole time.”
I blinked, completely stunned.
Danielle’s baby... wasn't Ryan’s?
The sheer, absurd irony of the situation almost made me laugh aloud. Danielle had destroyed her relationship with me, destroyed her reputation, and ruined her life for a man she wasn't even being faithful to.
“That’s fascinating, Ryan,” I said coldly. “Now please excuse us.”
“Vicki, wait!” Ryan reached out, his hand darting out to grab my wrist. “Please, just hear me out! I made a mistake! I was lured in by her! You and I—we had four years! We were supposed to build a life together! You can't honestly tell me you love this guy! You married him on a whim to get back at me!”
Before Ryan’s fingers could even make contact with my skin, Sebastian moved.
In a lightning-fast motion, Sebastian intercepted Ryan’s wrist, gripping it with enough force to make Ryan’s jaw drop in sudden pain. Sebastian stepped directly into Ryan’s personal space, his eyes blazing with a cold, terrifying fury.
“Touch my wife again,” Sebastian whispered, his voice dangerously quiet, vibrating with absolute authority, “and I will personally ensure your family’s firm is erased from the commercial registry before the sun rises tomorrow.”
Ryan trembled, trying to pull his hand back, but Sebastian’s grip was like a steel trap.
“She gave you four years of her life, Miller,” Sebastian continued, leaning in until his face was inches from Ryan’s. “And you treated her like an option. Now she is my wife. If you so much as breathe in her direction again, I will break you. Do you understand me?”
Ryan swallowed hard, nodding frantically. “Yes... yes! I’m sorry!”
Sebastian released his wrist with a contemptuous flick. Ryan stumbled backward, turning on his heel and fleeing through the crowd toward the exits, completely abandoning Chloe Kensington on the other side of the room.
I stood there, my heart pounding, looking up at Sebastian. He smoothed his suit jacket, adjusted his cuffs, and looked down at me, his gray eyes still dark with protective fury.
“Are you alright, Victoria?” he asked softly, his voice instantly softening as he looked at me.
I looked at this man—this powerful, brilliant titan who had just stood up for me with every ounce of his being, who protected me without hesitation, who loved me in ways Ryan could never even comprehend.
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“I’m better than alright, Sebastian,” I whispered, taking a step closer to him, resting my hand flat against his chest, feeling the strong, steady beat of his heart. “Take me home.”
Sebastian’s eyes darkened with sudden, intense passion. He didn't ask questions. He locked his arm around mine and led me out of the gala into the waiting night.
