The church was draped in ivory and gold, soft orchestral music drifting through the air, but the moment Pearl stepped inside, the room seemed to still.

Her black dress clung elegantly to her figure, the silky fabric catching the light with every step she took. A wide-brimmed black hat cast a shadow over her piercing blue eyes, making her unreadable. Each heel strike echoed on the marble floor, her pace unhurried, deliberate like she owned the space.

The whispers started immediately.

"She’s got some nerve showing up here."

"Does she think this is a funeral?"

"Poor taste or maybe she knows something we don’t."

Pearl’s lips curved slightly, not in...