The night had already taken a darker turn, and the elegant ballroom that had once shimmered with wealth and power now felt like a gilded cage. Malia stood tall and composed, her heart racing with every passing second. She could feel the weight of Evelyn's words still hanging in the air between them like a threat. This was no longer just about business; it was personal. It was vengeance.
Evelyn had been playing a long game, using charm and calculated manipulation to get close to them, to bring them to this point. The empire they had built, the trust they had cultivated, was now in the crosshairs of someone whose hatred ran deeper than Malia could have ever imagined.
And Evelyn's final revelation had been the last nail in the coffin.