The Birthday Party

The air in the grand foyer was thick with a suffocating tension. Chloe watched Julian hand over the meager velvet box, her eyes gleaming with a calculated, sickly-sweet malice. She leaned in just a fraction, her voice deliberately soft, dripping with a terrifyingly fake concern. "Sloane, Mr. Harrington sent you a personal invitation. That just shows how much he truly values you." A subtle, poisono