CHAPTER 19

The gallery still buzzed with the remnants of the earlier confrontation. A few patrons whispered among themselves, throwing curious glances in Pearl’s direction. But Pearl remained composed, her smile soft and untouchable as she straightened the edge of a ceramic sculpture on display. Fiona had fled, defeated for the moment, and peace had returned—or so it seemed. Among the patrons stood a woman who hadn’t spoken during the drama but had watched everything closely. Emily Perry. The former heiress to the Perry fortune and once Ethan Lennox’s fiancée, Emily carried herself with practiced elegance…a chin tilted just high enough to suggest pride, a smile that never quite reached her eyes. Her champagne-blonde hair was swept into a low bun, and her tailored Dior dress clung to her frame like it had been sewn just for her. She had not planned to stop by the Bridge Gallery, but fate, or curiosity, had drawn her in. She arrived in time to witness Fiona Kingsley’s humiliation and Pearl’s sho