The Van Empire charity gala was exactly what one would expect from an elite, strictly black-tie event.
Guests wore their finest attire to impress, with world-class wine and champagne passed on silver trays alongside an array of bite-sized delicacies inside the grand, dome-shaped ballroom. Massive crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow over pristine white floral arrangements and candlelit tables.
Every single detail was absolute perfection, making it the ideal setting for people to hide behind the curtains of glitz and glamour.
Gavriel and Aliana had drawn every eye in the room from the moment they stepped in. While some guests found themselves utterly mesmerized by the charismatic couple, others, who had quietly set the stage for their doom, felt a giddy sense of anticipation about what was about to unfold tonight.
One of them was, of course, Rufus Avery.
