The ballroom buzzed with the intoxicating energy of unchecked wealth and anticipation. Hundreds of crystal glasses clinked as the waiters flawlessly executed the synchronized service of the first course.

Seated at the center of the head table, Harper stared down at the delicate porcelain plate in

For three agonizing seconds, the grand ballroom of the Mercer Hospitality Summit was a tomb. The audio of Silas’s cold, detached voice—*Now, we wait for her to break*—bounced off the crystal chandeliers and sank into the velvet-lined walls. The dashcam footage of the black SUV crushing Liam Quinn’s

The fallout was biblical.

For three weeks, Harper’s face, and the faces of the people who had ruined her, dominated every news network, newspaper, and culinary blog in the world. The Mercer Hospitality Summit was instantly dubbed the "Red Banquet" by the press. The sheer volume of evidence Harper