Chapter 12 - The Grand Regency-12
The crystal chandeliers of the Grand Regency Ballroom cast a dazzling, golden glare over five hundred of the state’s most influential politicians, corporate titans, and media executives. Soft classical violin music floated through the air, mingled with the clinking of champagne flutes and polite, upper-class laughter.
Standing near the main podium, draped in a flawless tuxedo with a gold senator’s lapel pin, was Senator Richard Sterling. He was laughing warmly with the Governor, his demeanor radiating supreme power, untouchable authority, and absolute confidence.
He had no idea that three floors above the ballroom, inside the hotel's soundproofed VIP private library, a trap had been set.
At 8:45 p.m., Senator Sterling excused himself from the Governor, stepping quietly away from the crowd and taking a private elevator to the fourth floor. Two broad-shouldered private security guards clad in dark suits followed three paces behind him.
Sterling unlocked the heavy oak doors of the private library, stepping into the dimly lit, book-lined room. He expected to see his daughter Vanessa or Brandon waiting for him with the signed land trust documentation.
Instead, he saw a single woman standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the twinkling lights of the city skyline.
She wore a breathtaking, midnight-blue silk gown. Her posture was straight, commanding, and regal. In her right hand, she held a crystal glass of sparkling water; in her left, she held an old, leather-bound land deed stamped with her late father’s official seal.
She turned around slowly.
May you like
Senator Sterling stopped in his tracks, his eyes narrowing behind his gold-rimmed glasses. "Clara Cross?"
"Good evening, Senator," Clara said smoothly, taking a small, elegant sip of her water. "I believe you've been waiting for my father's land deeds."
