Chapter 41
A
“Miss Valor, I’m so sorry,” he said, barely louder than a whisper. “I didn’t keep my people in line. Forgive me for letting this spook you!”
The place burst into chatters.
James’s words slammed through the crowd, wiping their minds blank.
James Sinclair’s name carries weight in Ravendale.
He ran Century Globe Hotel’s whole show in the area.
Even the local hotshot families had to play nice with him.
And now, here he was, bowing and scraping to some random chick with the sorriest apology they’d ever heard.
And the reason seemed absurd–For not riding herd on his staff? For not greeting her himself?
They wondered if they were stuck in a dream–or if James had flat–out lost it.
Not far off, Amber stared, dumbfounded, as James bowed low to Raven, her smug smirk locking up tight on her face.
Even as a Jennings heiress, she didn’t have the juice to make James greet her at the door.
And she was dead sure–if some clueless waiter here ever got on her nerves, James might give the guy a light slap on the wrist, but say sorry to her
himself? No way.
Meanwhile, Raven was just some ex–con, barely out of Bastion Prison a couple days.
Now, after throwing the first punch, she had James bending over backward like a spring.
Before Amber could shake off the sting of how unfair it felt, James suddenly turned on Richard and the guards.
“What are you just standing there for?” he barked. “Apologize to Miss Valor, now!”
“If she doesn’t let it slide today, you’re all done–pack your stuff and get out!” he snapped.
Richard and the pack of guards jolted out of their daze at James’s words.
Richard didn’t waste a second, spinning to face Raven quick.
“Miss Valor,” he said, “I screwed up today–didn’t think it through. I didn’t mean to get in your way. Please, cut me some slack just this once.”
He had no idea why James was so rattled by Raven, but he knew if he didn’t play along, this sweet job was history.
The guards nodded too, tossing in a few quiet “yeahs” of their own.
Honestly, they were still clueless.
They remembered James saying nobody got a free pass on hotel rules–break them, and you’re gone.
And she was the one who started swinging.
They were just doing their jobs, trying to deal with Raven, so now this had turned into their mess.
Raven flicked a calm, quick look at Richard and the guards, then turned to James.
“Chill,” she said, waving it away. “They were just doing what they’re paid for. If I really wanted to prove something, they wouldn’t still have arms
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Chapter 41
attached.”
James’s breath caught sharp in his throat.
He knew enough about Raven to believe every word she’d just dropped,
In the next second, he swung back to Richard and the guards.
“Well?” he said. “Thank Miss Valor for letting it go!”
Richard and the guards dipped their heads fast.
“Thank you, Miss Valor…” they mumbled.
But as the guards spoke, a hint of irritation glinted in their downcast eyes.
All talk, huh,‘ they thought, ‘but this girl’s bluffing like she’s untouchable.
“Their arms wouldn’t be attached?“–The girl obviously had no idea what she was talking about.
They were trained security, not some punk on the street.
They figured any one of them could take this skinny chick down and wrap it up no sweat.
James caught the vibe on the guards‘ faces, and his forehead creased again.
But right now, with everyone watching, wasn’t the moment to chew them out.
So he just flashed Raven a sorry smile.
“Miss Valor, I’m really sorry about this mess. Let me get you the best seat we’ve got,” he said with absolute humbleness.
Raven gave a little nod.
Then, with every eye tracking her, she followed James to the prime spot right up front.
From there, she’d get the closest look at whoever snagged that common school slot!
But just as Raven got comfortable in her seat, a hotel waiter hustled over.
He leaned in and whispered something to James, and James’s face fell like a rock.
Then, James turned to Raven, his face clouded with worry.
“You busy? Go take care of it,” Raven said, tossing him an easy glance.
“It’s a bit of a situation, yeah. Thanks for being cool about it, Miss Valor,” James replied, keeping his tone hushed.
When Raven gave a nod, James let out a soft sigh of relief.
He turned to Richard and the guards, giving them a hard look to stay sharp with Raven, before heading out of the banquet hall.
A little bit later, after James was gone, quiet murmurs started spreading through the room.
“Didn’t they say she just got out of Bastion Prison a couple days back? Why’s Mr. Sinclair bending over backward for her?” someone whispered, totally stumped.
“Who is she? Maybe a big deal from some out of town family?” another threw out there.
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At that, a few people’s eyes shifted, checking Raven out with a new angle.
But some who knew her from middle school just huffed quietly to themselves.
Still, with James’s warning lingering, they didn’t dare say her name out loud.
Right as the crowd’s confusion about Raven started piling up, an old man shuffled in from outside the hall.
His eyes moved slow over everyone, landing fast on Raven, sitting smack in the most noticeable seat.
He frowned, then walked up to Raven.
“Who are you with?” he asked.
The banquet hall crowd blinked, thrown off by the old man.
This was Adam Griffin, the Fuller family’s head butler.
Every invite for this party had gone through him.
And now, he was questioning Raven…
It clicked. Raven must’ve slipped in.
“Adam, her name’s Raven. She’s with the Henderson family,” Amber jumped in before Raven could say a word.
She was still half–kneeling by the knocked–out Luca.
Her face twisted with sadness as she looked down at Luca, her voice heavy with concern and a sharp bite of anger.
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“Adam,” she added, “she just laid my friend out flat. Please, get a doctor in here quick–emergency help, something. I don’t know if she’ll make it ‘til the
ambulance shows.”
Adam’s face turned cold at Amber’s words.
He snapped at some nearby Fuller family people to grab a doctor.
Then his hard stare swung to Raven.
“I didn’t send an invite to any Hendersons,” he said. “Somebody nab this little troublemaker who crashed the party and made a scene!”
A dozen Fuller family guys stationed around the banquet straightened up at his command, moving in on Raven.
The hotel guards flicked quick glances at Richard.
Richard paused for half a second, then shook his head at them.
This was the Fuller family’s gig–if they wanted to toss out a gatecrasher, it wasn’t their call to interfere.
The guards picked up his cue, and a few smirks slid onto their faces as they watched Raven.
Raven had bragged she could tear our arms off; now they couldn’t wait to see how she’d handle these Fuller family guys, who were just as solid as them.
Meanwhile, the rest of the banquet hall crowd threw Raven looks dripping with mockery and contempt.
Someone mumbled under their breath, “I thought she had some wild backstory, but she’s just from that wannabe Henderson family!”
Another smirked, “Heard the Hendersons and Fullers can’t stand each other. And she still shows up at a Fuller party? That’s some next–level nerve.”
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“Probably chasing that Regalhold Common School slot,” someone tossed out.
“Pfft! Even if Preston Fuller’s giving away a spot at Regalhold, it’s not landing with garbage like her,” a voice jeered. “She should just quit day dreaming already!”
Amber watched the Fuller family guys closing in on Raven quick, the grin on her face spreading wider.
‘This girl’s a complete idiot,‘ she thought.
Even if Raven had worked some sketchy angle to get James groveling, it didn’t mean a thing.
When it came down to it, people’s roots decided how high they could climb.
Raven really thought fooling James into playing along meant she’d snuck into the upper crust? What a laugh.
Amber was sure Raven was about to get a hard reality check–born a Henderson, no matter how much she squirmed, she’d stay a nobody.
Raven’d never crack the top tier!
And she damn sure didn’t belong at a Fuller family event!
But right as Amber’s smug look hit its max…
Raven flicked a lazy glance at the Fuller family guys almost on her, then lifted a hand.
In the next second, a black–and–gold embossed invite shot straight at Adam’s face. It was the kind saved for the biggest VIPs.
“Smack!”
The thick card nailed Adam dead–on, snapping loud as it hit.
It slid down his face and hit the floor.
Before Adam could even react, a voice–calm as ice but sharp enough to slice through anything–came out of Raven’s mouth.
“No invite, huh?” she said. “Now open your damn eyes and tell me what this is.”
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