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Chapter 37

last update Last Updated: 2025-04-05 14:30:52

Chapter 37

The Caldwell mansion sparkled with desperate opulence, chandeliers polished to a frantic shine as they celebrated their financial resurrection. Crystal glasses clinked with forced cheer, champagne flowed a touch too freely, and Emily held court in the grand salon like a queen restored to her throne after a brief but terrifying exile. Her designer dress, hastily retrieved from the consignment shop where it had been sent just days earlier, caught the light as she moved among the guests, her smile brittle but triumphant.

The remaining society members who hadn't abandoned them completely gathered in smaller numbers than before, drawn by morbid curiosity as much as loyalty. They whispered behind manicured hands, eyes darting to notice the cheaper champagne, the fewer servers, the subtle signs of recent distress hastily covered with fresh flowers and forced laughter.

"To our savior," Emily raised her glass toward Lora, her voice carrying with practiced authority. "The woman who p
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