The gala pulsed behind them, a warm blur of laughter, wine, and orchestral crescendo. But inside the marble-lined comfort room, silence reigned — cold and immaculate.
The kind of silence only powerful women truly knew: watchful, calculated, veiled in powder-scented civility.
Viviennestared at herself in the mirror. She had reapplied her lipstick three times. And each time, her hand trembled a little more.
That girl — Celeste — had thrown off the rhythm of the night. Too composed. Too striking. Too… familiar.
She leaned closer to the mirror, pressing red lips together with just a touch of aggression.
The door clicked open. Soft heels. Elegant steps. Vivienne didn't need to look to know who it was.
Celeste Dela Peña entered, just as poised as she was twenty minutes ago, her dress gliding behind her like spilled ink. She walked to the far end of the mirror, offered a polite smile.
"Miss Lagrimas," she said, calm, soft-spoken. "Beautiful event."
Vivienne turned slowly.
"Please. Call me Vivienne."
"And thank you. I always believe a woman should celebrate her empire before it expands."
Celeste smiled faintly. "Expansion can be thrilling… and dangerous, if you don't know your terrain."
Vivienne's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Do you know this terrain, Celeste?"
"Not all of it," Celeste replied smoothly, fixing her lipstick. "But I learn fast. Observation is one of my strengths."
"Observation," Vivienne echoed. "Mmm. That's a rare skill. Some people walk into rooms and immediately forget where the exits are."
Celeste met her eyes through the mirror. "And some people forget where they entered in the first place."
A pause.
Tension, electric and elegant.
Vivienne tilted her head slightly, stepping closer.
"Tell me something, Celeste. Who recommended you to this project?"
"The board at Altura. Apparently, you were looking for someone 'fresh.' Unattached."
Vivienne studied her — slowly, like a jeweler unsure whether she was looking at a diamond or a very convincing fake.
"Unattached," she echoed again. "Well, let's hope you stay that way. Emotions… entanglements… they're terribly inconvenient in our world."
Celeste turned toward her then — not aggressively, just slowly. Intentionally.
"Are you referring to Mr. Verano?" Vivienne blinked.
A beat too long.
"Adrian and I have an understanding," she said coolly. "Our families go back decades. The merger will only solidify what's… inevitable."
Celeste gave a gentle, sympathetic smile — the kind that masked knives.
"Destiny's a lovely concept. But sometimes the universe surprises us."
Vivienne's fingers curled around her clutch, knuckles whitening. "Just make sure you don't surprise the wrong people, dear," she said with silk-coated steel.
"This city doesn't always forgive ambition from strangers."
Celeste moved to the sink, calmly washing her hands. She dried them, then met Vivienne's eyes again — quiet, unshaken.
"I'm not here for forgiveness, Vivienne."
"I'm here to do my job… with excellence."
She turned and walked out, the door closing with a soft finality behind her.
Vivienne remained still, chest rising slowly.
In the mirror, her reflection looked… older than she expected.
Outside, the night had deepened into a velvet hush, city lights casting gold onto the pavement like echoes of the gala still pulsing behind the mansion's glass walls.
Celeste stepped out into the cool air, her expression serene — but her eyes sharp, calculating. She didn't look back.
A sleek black car pulled up to the curb with precise timing. The back door opened, and Lucien leaned slightly from the driver's seat, his dark eyes catching hers in the rearview mirror.
"Well?" he asked as she slid in, the door closing with a quiet thud behind her.
Celeste removed her earrings slowly, methodically, as if shedding a costume.
"She's rattled," she said.
"Adrian noticed me. And Vivienne… saw just enough to wonder."
Lucien gave a small, approving nod. "So it begins."
Celeste looked out the window as the car pulled away. The gala behind them blurred into a golden smear — opulence in retreat.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"The empire's cracks are showing," she murmured.
And tonight… she had been the one to tap the mirror.