CHAPTER 1 The Gala Accident

CHAPTER 1

The Gala Accident

The Grand Meridian Hotel ballroom was bright and big. Hanging lights sparkled like lots of tiny stars. Men wore nice dark suits and shiny black shoes. Women had on long pretty dresses and jewelry that glowed when they walked around. Everyone was at the St. Jude Children’s Charity Gala. They talked in small groups, laughed loud, and took little plates of food from silver trays that waiters carried.

Ethan Blackwood stood by a thick stone pillar. He held a glass with dark brown drink inside. He was a very rich man—he owned big buildings and companies all over the country. But most people didn’t know he also led one of the biggest Mafia families around. To everyone here, he looked like just a smart man who knew how to run a business. Only a few close friends knew all the things he did to keep his family safe and his work strong. He came to events like this so people wouldn’t ask bad questions about him, and so he could meet important people who might help him later.

He looked around the room slow and careful. His eyes moved from one group to the next. He saw men who were his real friends—they’d worked with his family for years, and he knew he could trust them. He saw other men who were his enemies—they wanted to take what he had and hurt the people he cared about most. He also watched the politicians, because they had the power to help him grow his work or shut it all down with just a few words. His friend Marco talked to him through a small ear piece that no one could see.

“Everything’s quiet on the north side of the room,” Marco said in a soft voice. “The mayor just got here with his wife. They’re standing by the big flower display near the door.”

Ethan nodded his head slow. He was about to walk over and say hello to the mayor when someone ran right into him hard. The drink in his hand spilled all over his clean white shirt. Dark brown stains spread fast across the front.

“Oh no! I’m so, so sorry!” a woman said in a hurry. She reached into her purse and pulled out a small white cloth. She tried to wipe the stains off his shirt, her hands moving fast and nervous.

Ethan was going to get very angry—no one ever bumped into him like that, and no one ever got his nice clothes dirty. But then he looked up at her face. She had warm brown eyes and a worried smile. Her hair was long and dark, and it fell over her shoulders. She wore a simple blue dress that wasn’t fancy like all the other women’s dresses. She looked like she didn’t know who he was at all.

“It’s fine,” he said—and he was surprised that he meant it. “I’m Ethan.”

“I’m Lily,” she said, still looking worried. “I really didn’t mean to hit you. I was looking for my sister—she works here at the hotel as a waiter. I haven’t seen her all night, and I was getting worried.”

Ethan looked at her again. She didn’t look like she belonged at a fancy gala like this one. But for the first time all night, he felt like talking to someone. He didn’t want to go see the mayor anymore. He just wanted to know more about Lily.

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