Chapter 7

Audie watched Eleanor retreat, her thumb aggressively rubbing against the knuckles of her left hand.

Needing a moment to breathe, she walked away from the bar and moved toward the massive floor-to-ceiling windows at the edge of the ballroom.

She stared out at the glittering lights of Central Park, trying to calm the rapid beating of her heart.

Tatum, however, was not going to let the humiliation go.

Seeing Audie isolated by the window, Tatum's jealousy completely overrode her common sense.

She grabbed a glass of pink champagne and motioned for her three closest, most vicious socialite friends to follow her.

The four women marched over, effectively trapping Audie in the corner between the glass and a heavy velvet curtain.

"Audie!" Tatum chirped, her voice artificially loud.

She shoved a small plate with a petit four toward Audie's chest. "Eat something. You look exhausted. I guess working those long hours at a desk really drains the life out of you."

The three women behind Tatum let out synchronized, mocking giggles.

Audie didn't take the plate. She just stared at Tatum's flushed face.

Annoyed by the lack of reaction, Tatum deliberately raised her left hand and dramatically pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

The massive, five-carat yellow diamond on her ring finger caught the overhead light, flashing brilliantly.

One of the socialites gasped right on cue.

"Tatum, that ring is just breathtaking. Ryder is so incredibly devoted to you."

Tatum smirked, shooting a triumphant look at Audie.

"Ryder bought it at Sotheby's last week," Tatum bragged, making sure her voice carried. "It's a vintage cut. I just hope, Audie, that one day you can find a man who can afford to treat you properly."

Audie's eyes slowly dropped to the massive yellow stone.

The corner of her mouth twitched upward into a cold, razor-sharp smile.

"It's a beautiful stone," Audie said, her voice calm and clinical. "The clarity is decent. But the vintage cut actually reduces the light refraction. It's a notoriously difficult stone to liquidate."

The giggling stopped. The socialites exchanged confused glances.

Tatum's smile faltered. "You don't know what you're talking about. It's priceless."

Audie leaned forward slightly, dropping her voice to a low, conspiratorial whisper that only the four women could hear.

"Did Ryder tell you how he paid for it?" Audie asked.

She didn't wait for an answer.

"I was just reviewing Cole Holdings' quarterly financial reports last week, and their cash flow is incredibly tight," Audie stated, dropping the deduction with absolute precision. "Spending this much capital on a yellow diamond with virtually no investment return? He didn't buy that ring with cash, Tatum. It's highly likely he bought it on a short-term, high-risk loan. Technically, the bank owns that diamond."

Audie looked Tatum dead in the eye.

"Congratulations on marrying into a family with a broken cash flow."

All the color instantly drained from Tatum's face.

Her skin turned an ashen gray. The hand holding the pink champagne began to shake violently.

The three socialites beside her suddenly stepped back.

They didn't understand the exact math, but they perfectly understood the word loan.

The look of envy in their eyes instantly morphed into sharp, judgmental scrutiny.

Tatum snapped.

With a furious shriek, she raised her glass of pink champagne and threw the liquid directly at Audie's face.

Audie's reflexes kicked in.

She shot her hand out, grabbing Tatum's wrist mid-air and shoving it violently backward.

The momentum sent the pink, sticky champagne flying backward in an arc.

The liquid splashed directly across the bodice of Tatum's custom white Chanel gown.

Tatum let out an ear-piercing scream that silenced the entire ballroom.

Audie calmly reached out and plucked a white cocktail napkin from a passing waiter's tray.

She wiped a single drop of champagne off her thumb.

She dropped the crumpled napkin right at Tatum's feet.

"Watch your posture, sister," Audie smiled. She turned and walked away.