Chapter 3 - Ghosts in the Gold
An older man stepped out from the crowd.
His black dress shoes crunched on a piece of dropped candy.
Silver hair was slicked back, rigid and unmoving.
A red and black striped tie hung over his chest, rising and falling with heavy, jagged breaths.
On his left lapel, three gold medals clinked together.
The sound was sharp, metallic.
His jaw muscles ticked.
He stared past the laughing man, past the sobbing child.
His eyes locked entirely on the velvet box sitting in the cake.
His knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the marble table.
"Do you know what that is?"
His voice was a low growl, vibrating in his chest.
The laughing man finally paused, glancing sideways at the old man.
"That ring..."
The old man’s finger pointed, trembling slightly at the tip.
"...belonged to the woman who built this crew!"
The air in the room turned to ice.
The golden vanity lights behind them suddenly felt glaring, exposing.
The man in the navy suit loosened his grip on the blonde woman’s neck.
May you like
He sneered, adjusting his dark tie.
He didn't realize the gravity in the room had just shifted.
