Kapitel 55: CHAPTER 55: Power

<p>Ella</p>

<p>The atmosphere in the room shifts the moment Charlotte's voice cuts through the crowd, her words sharp and biting. I try my best to ignore her, but Charlotte is hell-bent on insulting me.</p>

<p>"You think you're so important, don't you, Ella?" she spits, her voice dripping with malice. "Everyone knows all you do is feed off powerful men like some kind of desperate leech."</p>

<p>I freeze. The quiet conversations around us begin to die down, and I can feel eyes turning toward us, the curiosity and anticipation palpable. Charlotte loves a spectacle, and I can feel one brewing. But before I can respond, a figure steps between us.</p>

<p>A blonde woman, impeccably dressed in a cream-colored suit, has inserted herself into the space between Charlotte and me. She faces Charlotte head-on, her posture calm but commanding. "That's enough," the woman says firmly. "I suggest you swallow whatever pride you have left and leave this woman alone."</p>