POV: Chloe

"She has a VIP gold pass."

"Ariane Moreau only issues twelve of those a year..."

"That outranks yours, Ella."

I watched the color drain from Ella’s face, only to rush back in a furious, dark flush.

"That’s a lie!" Ella shrieked, her voice skyrocketing to a shrill pitch that drew eyeballs from across the ballroom. "She’s a nobody! A low-level designer could never get a VIP gold pass while I only got red velvet. It’s a fake! Security, check it!"

The head of security stepped forward, looking apologetic. "Ma’am, standard procedure requires us to verify the card when such serious accusations are made."

“By all means.” I smiled...