ANNA'S POV

So far, so good.

Everything was going exactly the way I planned it.

Guests stood in neat clusters across the hall, soft laughter and polite conversation blending into the low instrumental music playing in the background. Waiters moved gracefully between them with trays of drinks, and no one looked confused, annoyed, or disappointed — which, in my world, meant success.

From where I stood, I could see my dad across the room, speaking with a few of the highest shareholders of Quinn’s Group. His posture was straight, confident, commanding as always. The men around him were listening intently, nodding at intervals. It was a familiar sight, Dad in...