Chapter 16 – The Ghost At The Banquet
The silver dress hugged my body and brought out all my curves. When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized the woman staring back. She wasn’t broken. She wasn’t begging. She wasn’t afraid.
She was Calderon.
I smoothed my hands down the dress, adjusted the diamond earrings, and stepped out of the
room.
The heels clicked on the marble floors as I descended the grand staircase.
My father and grandfather were already waiting near the door.
Mateo stood between them, dressed in a dark velvet tuxedo. Black shirt. No tie. The top two
buttons undone.
His hair slicked back, and that signature dangerous smirk played on his lips the moment he saw
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‘Well, well,” he said, stepping closer. “If I had known ghosts looked this good, I’d have die sooner.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled. “Don’t be dramatic.”
‘Princess,” my grandfather said with a proud gleam in his eyes. “You look like a queen.”
My father kissed my cheek. “Be careful. That family’s worse than wolves.”
‘I’ll be fine,” I said. “I have Mateo.”
Mateo held out his arm. “Always beside her. Always watching.”
My grandfather narrowed his eyes at him. “You better be.”
We walked out together.
The Moretti estate looked like something out of a royal documentary.
Floodlights illuminated the stone walls. Guests in gowns and tuxedos sipped champagne beneath canopies of gold-trimmed fabric.
Laughter and classical music floated into the night air.
But when I stepped through those gates with Mateo beside me, the world paused.
All eyes turned to us.
Whispers followed like perfume trails.
“Is that Sophia?”
“She’s supposed to be dead-”
“Oh my God…”
We walked past the stunned guards. Mateo flashed the envelope, sealed in black and gold.
“I have a gift for the celebrant,” I said calmly.
The room erupted into chaos.
Lorenzo’s grandfather, seated like a king at the center of the ballroom, shot to his feet and pointed a trembling finger.
“You!” he roared. “You have no right to be here!”
Guests murmured in shock. Lorenzo’s grandmother covered her mouth.
“How dare you show your face in this house!” the old man shouted again. “And with another man, no less! You’re not invited!”
Mateo stepped forward, unfazed. “Actually, we are.”
He handed over the black invitation. One of the guards passed it to the old man.
He looked it over, his hands shaking. The gold insignia was unmistakable. The signature was his
own.
“This… this is impossible,” he muttered. “How did you get this?”
Then came Renata’s voice, shrill and desperate. “She stole it! I bumped into her yesterday at the mall-she attacked me and took the invitation! I was going to tell you but—”
Lorenzo cut in, glaring at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I tried!” she cried. “But you said you were going out! You didn’t want to listen!”
I stared at the both of them, then scoffed.
“Are you done with your little performance?” I said. “Because I didn’t steal anything. We were invited. Legally. Officially. Just accept it.”
The guests watched with wide eyes. Some amused. Some horrified.
The grandfather’s face turned red. “This is my house! I won’t have this shame under my roof! Guards, throw them out-!”
“No one is touching her.” Mateo’s voice cut through the noise like a blade.
The guards hesitated. His voice carried a dangerous aura.
Lorenzo stormed forward, pushing through the crowd until he stood directly in front of me.
“How dare you show up here?” he spat. “After everything you’ve done? You faked your death and now you’re dragging another man to this sacred event-”
He looked me over, then sneered. “You didn’t even mourn your child. Not even a week before you
crawl into another man’s bed.”
I didn’t flinch. I slapped him hard.
The entire ballroom went silent. Someone gasped. A glass shattered.
Lorenzo stumbled a step back, eyes wide.
“You don’t get to speak about Ariella,” I said coldly. “Not with that mouth. Not after what
you
did.”
He clenched his fists. “You think you can walk in here and act like you belong?”
“I don’t think, Lorenzo. I know.”
Mateo stepped in beside me. “We’re not here for drama. Sophia just wanted to give her gift to the celebrant and leave.”
“Get out!” the grandfather screamed again. “I don’t care if the invitation’s real. You are not welcome here!”
I stepped forward, looked him dead in the eye.
“Oh, we’re leaving,” I said. “But not before everyone here sees that the woman you tried to ruin is still standing. And next time you try to bury me, you better make sure I don’t dig myself out.”
I turned on my heel, Mateo beside me and walked out leaving them stunned.
Lorenzo’s Pov
