In the seat of power at the head of the hall sat not Dennis.
It was Nellie Fox, draped in a designer Chanel suit, belly swollen and on full display.
Dennis stood faithfully at her side, one hand hovering protectively over her waist.
When he saw me, something flickered in his eyes. Instinct pulled him forward a step.
Then he glanced at Christian behind me and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Margot, you're finally here."
Nellie was the first to break the silence, her voice dripping with syrupy sweetness, so saccharine it could rot teeth.
"Dennis said you weren't feeling well, so he asked me to host today's handover ceremony on your behalf. You won't blame me for overstepping, will you?"
As she spoke, she made a show of stroking her belly. The provocation couldn't have been more blatant.
I didn't spare her a glance. I walked straight to the center of the hall, my gaze cutting across every elder seated along the sides.
These men. Every last one of them used to trail behind me, calling me their queen.
And now they sat here, watching in silence while some bed-climbing nobody perched in my chair and lorded it over them.
"Dennis. Where is my man?"
I ignored Nellie entirely and went straight for him.