The ballroom glimmered with chandeliers and deceit. Champagne flowed, diamonds sparkled, and false smiles ruled the air.
Hana's heels clicked purposefully across the marble floor as she made her way to the VIP circle. Every eye turned. Not out of curiosity—out of calculation.
Jin Ae-Ra, draped in red silk, extended a glass toward Hana. "To fresh faces trying old tricks," she toasted.
Hana didn't flinch. She took the glass, raised it gently. "And to expired royalty watching their empires crumble."
Mi-Ho stood nearby, eyes sweeping the room like a silent guard. But he didn't need to protect her—Hana was already playing her game.
Suddenly, a man approached. Choi Do-Hwan—the chairman of one of the most powerful investment firms.
"Seo Hana," he said, intrigued. "I've heard of you. I'd like to talk business."
Ae-Ra's smile cracked just a little.
Hana tilted her head. "Then let's talk."
With one move, she had stolen the spotlight—and the biggest investor in the room.