Chapter 2: The Man Who Came to Watch It Burn
Part 2 ⬇️
August's eyes found Ridge Harlan across the ballroom.
Ridge didn't stand.
He lifted his glass instead, slow and deliberate, like a man who had rehearsed this moment.
"Relax, Vale.
She spilled wine on a guest.
I corrected her."
The room didn't breathe.
August walked past three tables without looking at a single person.
When he reached Meredith, he crouched down.
He didn't touch her face.
He just looked at her — the way a man looks when he is deciding how much damage he is willing to cause.
"Can you stand?" he said quietly.
"Yes."
"Then stand."
She did.
The white cloth fell from her hand.
August straightened and turned to face Ridge.
"You touched my wife."
Ridge's smile flickered.
Just once.
Then it returned.
"Your wife." He said it like a joke.
"August, everyone in this room knows you don't have a wife.
You made sure of that."
A few people shifted in their seats.
That was when Luella appeared in the ballroom doorway, still holding her paper cup.
Her face had gone completely white.
She was staring at Ridge Harlan.
Not with fear.
With recognition.
---
What does Luella know about Ridge — and why has she been hiding it?
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