The silence in the restroom shattered like a dropped chandelier. Lydia gasped, her chest heaving beneath her ivory lace bodice. She stumbled back, her heels clicking frantically against the marble floor as if she were trying to escape the sudden, lethal aura radiating from Nina. The sound echoed in the confined space, a staccato rhythm of panic.
"How dare you talk to me like that?" Lydia's voice rose into a shrill, hysterical register, echoing off the pristine walls. Her carefully cultivated poise evaporated in an instant. "How dare you! Do you have any idea who I am? Do you have any idea what I can do to you with a single phone call?" The threat hung in the air, but even as she spoke, Lydia could hear the desperation creeping into her own words.
