An exceptionally beautiful woman stood like a vision in a structured, floor-length gown of midnight blue silk crepe. Her long hair was swept back into a sleek, flawless chignon at the nape of her neck, ensuring not a single stray strand obscured her face. Her makeup was a masterclass in understated elegance: a luminous, fresh complexion, clean, sculpted brows, and a delicate rose tint on her lips. Resting just above her collarbone was a single, priceless heirloom diamond pendant, suspended from a whisper-thin platinum chain.
She cradled a flute of Krug champagne by its delicate crystal stem, holding it more as a social anchor than a drink as she drifted through the gala's elite crowd.
"Ah, Veronika, we meet again."
The oily, overly familiar voice cut through the soft hum of the ballroom, causing Veronika to wince inwardly.
'Ugh, the fool is here.'
Summoning a flawless, practised smile, she turned to face him. "Good evening. Yes, it has been some time."
"It has been months since the exhibition," the man gushed, his eyes scanning her with unvarnished appreciation. "It was absolutely thrilling to watch you take first prize. A magnificent victory, won entirely through your own brilliance and tireless dedication."
"It was a team effort," Veronika replied, her tone smooth, cool, and perfectly polite.
Undeterred, the man turned to his companion, the second man stood with an effortless, rakish posture, wearing a deep purple silk shirt open at the collar over a black silk vest. It was a daring choice that completely defied the rigid black-tie dress code, yet he wore it with such immense, easy confidence that he somehow made everyone else in their traditional tuxedos look utterly boring. His hair was slicked back sharply, framing an undeniably striking face.
"What did I tell you, brother?" the first man smirked, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "Miss Veronika is so humble she gladly downplays her own genius for the sake of a few useless nobodies."
The suave companion offered a low, smooth laugh that instantly made the first man look even more foolish. He stepped forward, his dark eyes locking onto Veronika's with a micro-flash of genuine, intelligent amusement, as if he instantly read exactly how much she disliked his friend.
"Quite true," he replied, his voice a rich, confident baritone. "Though you only mentioned her intellect, brother, and utterly failed to warn me of her breathtaking beauty." He extended his hand, his grip firm, warm, and brief. "Mathew Webb, it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Veronika offered a flawless, practised smile, extending her hand. "An absolute pleasure, Mr Webb."
His grip was firm, warm, and brief, but long enough for her to catch the distinct, clipped cadence of his voice, and she smoothly reclaimed her hand. "From your accent, can I presume you are British?"
"Guilty as charged," Mathew replied, his baritone rich with an effortless, self-deprecating charm. He gestured toward his companion with a slight, casual tilt of his head.
"Caelub's family has been working closely with my own enterprise back home. Being the gracious friend he is, he insisted I couldn't leave the country without experiencing this gathering."
"I see," Veronika murmured, her eyes assessing him with quiet vigilance. "Then I hope our shores are proving to be to your liking, Mr Webb. A welcome escape from the famously gloomy London weather, perhaps?"
"Oh, immensely," Mathew smiled, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that felt entirely intentional. "The warmth here is marvellous. In fact, it has been quite some time since I've experienced this level of peace and serenity."
"That is comforting to hear, and our hospitality rarely disappoints."
"Indeed, though I must confess, the climate is only a secondary bonus," Mathew continued smoothly, seamlessly pivoting the topic. "A gala like this provides the perfect stage for what really matters. It's a wonderful opportunity to extend a hand to those who truly need it."
"Yes, exactly! My good brother here helps a tremendous number of people," Caelub interjected loudly, stepping forward to bridge the gap.
Being sidelined did not suit Caelub at all. Watching Veronika and Mathew lock minds while completely ignoring his presence had rubbed him entirely the wrong way, and his face flushed with a desperate need to reclaim the spotlight.
"By allowing me into his inner circle, Mathew has shown me a grander vision of the world," Caelub gushed, puffing his chest out as he looked at Veronika. "And for that, I am profoundly grateful."
Veronika kept her smile firmly in place as she politely nodded.
On the other side of the grand ballroom, Catarina Veyr was thoroughly enjoying a conversation with Helena Kassler; the two had been close since their school days, and they were currently lost in an affectionate wave of nostalgia.
"Really, Helena, stop it," Catarina laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. "If you say another word, I will completely lose my composure and end up as tomorrow's front-page scandal."
"Fine, fine," Helena chuckled, holding up her freed hand in mock surrender. "Only because you are my dearest friend."
Catarina reined in her laughter, her expression softening into genuine gratitude, "By the way, Helena, Rusted Ichor has truly worked wonders for my over-stressed daughter; it has been a breath of fresh air for her."
"Yes, Elias is thoroughly enjoying his time there as well," Helena agreed warmly. "It seems both of them are having quite the adventure."
"Yes…" Catarina trailed off, and a sudden, heavy silence fell between them before she leaned closer, speaking in a hushed, tentative tone. "Helena, do you really think all that fighting is good for your son? I mean…"
Helena's grip tightened on her crystal glass as she stared down at the swirling amber liquid, letting out a quiet, heavy sigh. "It's fine, Catarina, and I admit I was incredibly sceptical about allowing him to play that game at first, but at the very least, he no longer wakes up screaming from nightmares, and that alone is a miracle."
Catarina sighed softly, offering a comforting nod. "I suppose all's well that ends well."
As they spoke, Catarina's gaze naturally drifted across the crowded floor, scanning the room until her eyes locked onto Veronika's location. To any casual onlooker, Veronika appeared to be the absolute life of the party, gracefully commanding the attention of the small crowd surrounding her, but a mother always knows her child best, and Catarina could see the microscopic tension in her daughter's shoulders.
"It seems my daughter needs a rescue mission," Catarina murmured.
Excusing themselves with practised ease, Catarina and Helena began threading their way through the gala. They offered polite smiles and elegant nods to the passing elites, keeping their pace casual but purposeful.
As they neared the group, the oppressive dynamic became painfully clear. Veronika had been on the absolute verge of escaping Mathew and Caelub when a handful of Caelub's rowdy friends had suddenly materialised, blocking her exit path like a wall of expensive fabric.
One particularly eager boy was practically crowding her space, aggressively offering to refill her champagne. Veronika was handling him with icy, polite refusals, but the boy was far too dense and far too pushy to take a hint.
'Do these brainless boys honestly think I would accept a drink from a stranger?' Veronika thought, her inner monologue roaring behind her mask of absolute composure. 'Ugh, this stubborn, arrogant little brat. If he doesn't back off in the next three seconds, I swear I will shove this glass down his throat.'
Watching the scene unfold from a few paces away, Catarina's brow furrowed in sharp annoyance. She smoothly whipped out her phone, snapped a quick photo of the surrounding pests, and fired it off to her husband with a biting text, which she complained inwardly, 'That oaf husband of mine... instead of protecting our daughter, where on earth is he idling?'
The pushy boy stepped even closer to Veronika, raising a fresh bottle, "Come on, Veronika, just a splash of Krug—"
"Veronika." The crisp, authoritative voice of her mother cut through the heavy air like a diamond blade. Veronika felt a wave of profound, instantaneous relief wash over her.
As Catarina and Helena stepped into the tight circle, their effortless, commanding presence instantly arrested the attention of every young man in the group, freezing the pushy boy right in his tracks.
"Are these your friends, Veronika?" Catarina asked, her voice dripping with a pleasant, deceptively light curiosity.
'Uh oh,' Veronika thought, spotting the microscopic tightening around her mother's eyes. 'Mom is absolutely furious.'
Before Veronika could utter a word, Caelub eagerly injected himself into the space, practically tripping over his own feet to interrupt her, "Hello, ma'am! It is a profound honour to meet you, and yes, we are Veronika's friends."
Maintaining her flawless, unbothered smile, Catarina turned her chillingly polite gaze onto him. "A pleasure to meet you, and when exactly did your paths cross with my daughter's?"
"Ma'am, it was during the international tech exhibition," Caelub gushed, puffing out his chest. "I was a participant as well."
Veronika didn't miss the opportunity to slide the blade in. "Mother, his team was the one that made the front pages after getting disqualified. They tried to claim third-party, mass-produced robots as their own proprietary tech."
"Ah," Catarina murmured, her smile turning razor-thin. "Yes, I recall reading about that, and it was quite an embarrassing display for our country's standard of innovation."
The blood instantly rushed to Caelub's face, his neck turning a blotchy, bright crimson, as he began to stammer frantically under the weight of the women's gazes. "I—I was not directly involved in that oversight, ma'am! Truly. My family's name was merely used as a backing by some... short-sighted commoners. I shouldn't be held accountable for—"
Catarina cut him off with a slow, deeply sympathetic nod, though her eyes remained entirely cold. "I completely understand, child. You have clearly been through a great deal of secondhand misfortune. Now, if you will excuse us, I have some pressing family business to discuss with my daughter."