Chapter 4

The Grand Ballroom of The Pierre hotel glittered with New York's financial elite, a sea of designer gowns and bespoke suits mingling beneath crystal chandeliers. I smoothed the front of my midnight blue Valentino dress—a strategic choice, powerful yet understated—and scanned the crowd. William would have expected me to be home, nursing my wounds. Instead, I was hunting.

My target stood near the champagne fountain, a flute clutched in her hand like a lifeline. Sarah Jenkins—senior analyst, Princeton graduate, passed over for promotion three times despite consistently outperforming her male colleagues. I'd done my research.

I approached casually, as if…