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.