Ester had not taken her eyes off Roseline the entire evening.
The moment she saw Roseline lean toward Hugo and whisper something urgent, Ester's instincts sharpened. She watched Hugo nod, watched the two of them excuse themselves, and the second they started up the stairs, Ester acted.
Without hesitation, she placed her untouched glass onto a passing waiter's tray and slipped into the shadows, her movements careful, practiced. She kept a safe distance, just enough not to draw attention, her heels barely making a sound against the marble floor.
Finally, she thought.
This was the opportunity she had been waiting for.
Roseline and Hugo disappeared into the upper hallway. Ester followed, heart pounding, pulse quickening with anticipation. If she could catch Roseline in a compromising situation—even something that looked suspicious—it would be enough. Scandal didn't need truth. It only needed timing.
She reached the corridor just as a door shut.
Locked.
