Jackson Gilbert and Millicent were on the guest list.
They were delighted.
Seven years as Mrs. Gilbert had transformed Millicent. She was no longer the penniless girl she'd once been. Wealth had draped her in gold and diamonds and given her the polished air of old money.
But standing in the glittering ballroom, she still couldn't help glancing around, wide-eyed and curious, like a child at her first black-tie event.
"Jackson, who exactly is this Arthur Stephens?"
Jackson chuckled.
"You've never heard of him?"
"Arthur Stephens. Sole heir to the Stephens Group. He controls development rights to half of Southgate. Even the Gilbert family has to stay on his good side if we want contracts in Seaview City."
Jackson glanced down at the woman beside him, whose expression had shifted.
The smile on his lips cooled.
"And that's just the surface. The Stephens family runs deeper than you can imagine."
"Point is, don't cross him."
Millicent stopped walking. Her gaze locked onto me across the room, where I stood chatting with a circle of guests.
"What about his wife, Sophia Simmons? First time meeting her and she's already so cold. She doesn't exactly seem approachable. And I keep feeling like..."
"Like what?"