But as we stepped back under the crystal chandeliers, it was glaringly obvious that the Moretti name was already hemorrhaging credibility across every mobile device in the room.

The atmosphere had shifted from a celebratory gala to a crime scene.

A prominent city councilman—whose campaigns were heavily funded by Carlo—was frantically power-walking toward the coat check, barking desperate orders into his phone to his PR team.

A senior executive from the bank that held Daniel’s commercial loans was staring at an attached PDF ledger, his face completely devoid of color.

And standing near the devastated champagne tower was a man I recognized from the society pages: Julian Hayes.

Elena’s current fiancé. Yes—fiancé.