Inside, her thoughts were far less composed.
This is it.
The moment she had known was coming.
For years she had lived between secrecy and inevitability, and now the truth would eventually surface in a way no one could ignore.
Sera continued walking.
The slit of her skirt revealed flashes of her leg, the jeweled cuff glittered.
If they were going to talk about her tonight, she intended to give them something worth talking about.
The whispers began.
Eyes followed Sera as she moved deeper into the arena with Cyril beside her.
Heads leaned together.
Questions floated from table to table.
Everyone didn't know what to make of it, they could only speculate.
How did she carry the same genes as a Duvall?
Some stared openly.
Others tried—and failed—to pretend they were not watching her.
The elite families seated near the front whispered behind elegant glasses of wine, their carefully composed faces betraying flickers of shock and fascination. Even the elders looked unsettled.
