The Formal Dinner And Wine Pairing (2)

The soft chime of crystal glasses and low, melodic piano filled the air as guests slowly began to settle into their assigned seats.

James moved with quietly, with a calm and composed expression, and posture.

A uniformed server guided him to his seat at one of the long, elegant tables draped in ivory linen. Gold-trimmed dinnerware and crystal glasses lined each setting.

His name card rested just above the fine silverware, nestled between two high-profile individuals.

One of them belonged to a soft-spoken woman who ran a private art collection trust and a man who, from what James overheard, owned a logistics company with deep military contracts.

The lighting dimmed gently, softening into warm gold. Overhead, the chandeliers twinkled like constellations suspended in time.