Chapter 56: Chloe’s Background Revealed

Night had fallen.

At the Waldorf.

Several men in black slipped silently into the top-floor ballroom.

Tiny bombs were planted at key locations: flower beds, crystal chandeliers, load-bearing columns.

However.

In the hotel's central control room, Olivia lounged back with a cup of coffee, calmly watching their every move on the monitors.

"The mice are in the trap," she murmured into her earpiece.

"Clean them out."

Leo's voice came through, cold and flat.

Ten minutes later, the Nightfall assassins finished the last placement and quietly withdrew.

After they left, four dark figures moved in. They tracked down each bomb with precision, disarmed it, and swapped it out for an identical-looking dummy.

The whole process took less than five minutes.

Every bomb had been replaced.

The next evening, eight o'clock sharp.

The top-floor ballroom of the Waldorf was ablaze with light.

The Rosenberg family's homecoming party for Chloe was underway as scheduled.

New York's high society had gathered here: Wall Street magnates, Fifth Avenue fashion darlings...

But tonight, they were all waiting for one thing.

The "major announcement" that the Rosenberg family was rumored to be making.

"Did you hear? Mira's announcing something big tonight."

"Is she naming an heir?"

"Probably. Mira's not getting any younger..."

Guests murmured to each other in low voices.

Just then, the ballroom lights dimmed.

Instinctively, everyone turned toward the entrance.

The heavy oak double doors swung open.

Spotlights flared to life.

Mira sat in her wheelchair, pushed by the butler, Victor, making her way slowly into the ballroom.

At her side, a young woman in a custom, starry-blue evening gown held her arm with effortless grace.

Her golden hair fell like a waterfall over her shoulders, and under the dazzling lights, her delicate features were almost unreal.

She was the star of the night: Chloe.

On Chloe's other side stood a man with his hands casually in his pockets, his face unreadable.

The sheer presence rolling off him sent a chill down people's spines.

"Who's that? I've never seen him before."

"If he's standing next to Mira, he must be someone important."

"Maybe a relative from one of their European branches?"

"What? Mira actually lets an outsider stand beside her?"

"Shh, keep it down. I heard this guy has serious pull..."

Whispers rippled through the room as everyone sized up the trio.

Mira clapped her hands lightly.

The ballroom fell silent at once.

Every gaze focused on the main podium.

"Thank you all for coming tonight."

Though Mira's voice was old, it still carried unmistakable authority. "I've asked you all here for an important announcement."

She turned, looking at Chloe with unmistakable affection.

"This is my granddaughter, Chloe Rosenberg. She is also my daughter Emily's only child. Tonight, she officially returns to the Rosenberg family."

The room erupted.

"It's her?"

"The heir the Rosenbergs lost more than twenty years ago?"

"My God, this is straight out of a movie..."

"No wonder Mira treasures her so much..."

"Twenty years, and she's still alive?"

"But what about Arthur? He's the head of the family..."

Guests traded stunned looks, voices rising and falling in agitation.

"Silence!"

Mira's sharp command cracked through the noise.

The ballroom quieted again.

"Arthur has stepped down as head of the family for health reasons," Mira continued. "From this day forward, Chloe will return to the family and become the Rosenbergs' only legitimate heir."

The announcement hit the room like a bombshell.

Everyone stared at Chloe in disbelief.

A girl missing for over twenty years suddenly returns and is named the Rosenberg heir on the spot?

This...

"I know you all have many questions."

Mira raised a hand, calling for calm. "But what you need to understand is this: Chloe is my daughter Emily's only child, the true blood of the Rosenberg line."

"Her return is a blessing to this family."

"I hope all of you will support her and stand by her."

She turned to Chloe again, her eyes softening.

Chloe drew a deep breath, stood up, and offered the guests a small, courteous bow.

"Good evening, everyone. I am Chloe Rosenberg. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Her voice was gentle, but steady.

For a moment, the room was utterly still.

Then someone began to clap.

A heartbeat later, applause swelled like a tide.

"Welcome home, Ms. Black!"

"The Rosenbergs have an heir again!"

"Congratulations, Mira!"

Glasses were raised across the ballroom in her honor.

Mira nodded, satisfied.

At that moment, a graceful waltz began to play on the ballroom's main dance floor.

Leo stepped up to Chloe and held out his hand.

"May I have this dance, Ms. Rosenberg?"

Chloe's cheeks flushed as she placed her slender hand in his. "It would be my honor, Mr. Ashford."

The two of them moved toward the center of the floor.

Once again, all eyes followed them.

Leo slid one hand to Chloe's waist and took her hand with the other. Her free hand came to rest lightly on his shoulder.

To the slow rise and fall of the music, they began to dance.

Chloe's white dress flared beneath the lights like a blooming flower.

Leo's steps were steady and precise, each one landing perfectly on the beat.

Guided by his lead, Chloe moved like an elegant swan, turning and gliding across the floor...

"Leo..." Chloe said softly. "Thank you."

"For what?" Leo looked down at her.

"For staying with me."

Chloe lifted her gaze, her blue eyes searching his. "Without you, I never would have made it this far."

The corner of Leo's mouth curved in a faint smile. "That's what I'm here for."

The music swelled toward its climax.

"Nervous?" Leo asked under his breath.

"A little," Chloe admitted. "But as long as you're with me, I'm not afraid."

"I'll be here," Leo said, his tone softer than usual. "Always."

Then all the lights in the ballroom went out.

The entire hall plunged into darkness.

"What's going on?"

"Did the power just cut?"

"Where's security?"

Panic rippled through the guests.

Meanwhile.

On the roof of an abandoned building roughly a thousand feet from the Waldorf, a man in a black trench coat watched the ballroom through high-powered binoculars.

He was Nightfall's field commander for their latest mission — codename Judging Angel.

"Perfect," he breathed.

A smug, icy smile tugged at his lips. "The power grid is down. They're all trapped."

He picked up his radio.

"Everything's ready, boss."

Behind him, more than a dozen fully armed Nightfall operatives stood poised to move.

"Good."

Judging Angel's smile twisted into something cruel. "Leo, you killed Killer and crippled our North American network..."

"Tonight, you and all those so-called elites are going to burn."

He raised the detonator and pressed the button.

"Die."

One second.

Two.

Three.

Nothing.

"What?"

Judging Angel stared down at the detonator, eyes widening.

"What the hell is this? Why isn't it going off?"

He jabbed the button again and again.

Still nothing.

Through the binoculars, he saw the ballroom across the way flicker back to life — the lights had come on again.

The music resumed.

Under the glittering crystal chandelier, Leo was guiding Chloe off the dance floor, his hand still resting at her waist as the guests applauded.

"Damn it!"

Judging Angel ground his teeth, whirling on his men. "How is this possible? The plan was airtight. How did it fail?"

"Get in touch with the planting team. Now. I want to know exactly what went wrong!"

But before anyone could reach for a radio—

"Because we found you a long time ago..."

A low, sultry female voice drifted from the rooftop access door.

Judging Angel spun around.

Ivy stepped out, high heels ticking against the concrete, her black leather catsuit molding to every curve of her flawless figure.

Behind her, Olivia emerged with four members of the Shadow team, guns raised, forming a tight ring around Judging Angel and his men.