The Golden Facade

Stella

I stand by the long table, the air thick with the scent of gourmet hors d'oeuvres and sparkling wine. Idly, I pick up a tiny pastry, turning it this way and that before setting it back on the plate.

As if to steel my nerves and try not to think about what Vance is saying to Monica in the other room, I’m arranging the treats into some semblance of symmetry when a familiar voice that I haven