Millicent put on her wounded look. "Gabriella, how could you do this? Without someone carrying my train, this gown won't have nearly the same effect."
I looked at them both. Cold. Silent.
Up ahead, camera flashes were already firing. The host was calling Millicent's name over the speakers.
I ignored Dominic and turned toward the exit.
"Stop her!"
He didn't care about the scene anymore. He gave the order outright.
The two bodyguards rushed me. A boot slammed into the back of my knee.
I wasn't ready for it. My legs buckled and I crashed to the hard ground.
White-hot pain shot through my kneecaps.
Nearby crew members and reporters turned to stare. Someone raised a camera.
Dominic strode over, towering above me, his eyes devoid of anything human.
In front of everyone, he pointed his finger directly at my face.
"My apologies, ladies and gentlemen of the press."
But the words that left his mouth were devastating.
"This woman is a low-level assistant at my company who's been harboring delusional fantasies about me."
"She actually had the nerve to sneak backstage today and cause a scene, trying to sabotage Miss Abbott's red carpet moment."
"Get her out of here. Drag her out before she dirties everyone's evening."
The room erupted.
Countless camera flashes fired at once, capturing me on my knees.
He wanted to use this to destroy my dignity.
The bodyguards seized my arms and hauled me toward the doors, out into the pouring rain.
Dominic stood with his arm around Millicent's waist, watching me go.
"Gabriella, this is what happens when you don't behave."
"Tonight, you can sleep on the street and think about what you've done."
They threw me into the mud outside the backstage doors.
The rain hammered down, washing the blood from my knees in thin red rivulets.
I lay in the filth, staring back at the two of them glowing under the red carpet lights, and a cold smile curled across my lips.
From my soaked pocket, I fished out a black encrypted phone.
My fingers trembled as I punched in a number.
Abner Griffin's private line.
Abner Griffin. The most feared power broker in Grandview's elite circles, a man no one dared cross. He was also the only partner who'd stood beside me years ago when I built my venture capital empire on Wall Street.