Chapter 8: Glamour and Gunsmoke
The gala shimmered with crystal chandeliers, clinking glasses, and the hum of money and secrets. Ava stood beside Dominic, her hand on his arm, smiling like she belonged in this world.
Like she wasn't unraveling inside.
Every step he took, every glance he gave her, was perfectly choreographed. To the world, they were magnetic. Powerful. Real.
But she could feel the distance in his touch.
The tension in his silence.
He kissed me, then disappeared. Now I'm back on stage like nothing happened.
Dominic leaned close, lips brushing her ear. "Smile wider. The press is watching."
She smiled.
And hated herself for how good it looked.
As he stepped away to speak with one of his board members, Ava wandered to the balcony, needing air—or escape.
That's when she heard it.
Two men stood near the bar behind her, voices low but urgent.
"She doesn't even know, does she?"
"No. Dominic made sure she signed everything blind."
"Damn. And when the merger finalizes, she's going to lose everything—name, assets, control. All to keep the Grey name clean."
Merger? Control?
Her chest tightened. She'd thought the marriage was about image. Appearances. But this was more than that.
This was business.
And she was the collateral.
"Ava."
She turned quickly—too quickly—and nearly collided with a man in a sharp navy suit. Late thirties, charming smile, viper's eyes.
"Do I know you?" she asked, instantly guarded.
"No," he said, with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "But I know you. Ava Grey. Or should I say… Ava Whatever-Your-Maiden-Name-Is?"
Her spine stiffened. "Excuse me?"
"I know the marriage is fake," he said softly, pulling a sleek phone from his pocket. On the screen were photos — candid ones. Her and Dominic. The coldness in their eyes. The distance behind the camera.
"You've got 48 hours before I leak these to the press," he continued. "Unless one of you walks away."
"What do you want?" she asked through clenched teeth.
"Oh, nothing. Just a little chaos. I hate clean fairy tales."
He left her standing there, breath frozen in her lungs, the city glittering behind her.
She felt cold.
Used.
Trapped between a man who lied to her face… and another who wanted to blow up her world.
Dominic found her moments later, frowning. "What happened?"
She looked at him. Really looked.
"I heard something tonight," she said quietly. "And I'm starting to think I was never your wife, Dominic. Just your w
eapon."
He didn't deny it.
And that hurt more than anything else.