Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Prince of New York
The big doors of the ballroom opened. The sound was like a wave hitting me. There were hundreds of people in the room. They all wore expensive clothes and sparkling jewelry. The air smelled like heavy flowers and very old wine. As soon as Alexander and I stepped onto the top of the wide stairs, the room went quiet for a second. Then, a hundred cameras started to click. The flashes were so bright they hurt my eyes. I felt like I was going blind. I wanted to put my hand up to hide my face, but Alexander gripped my arm tighter. He leaned in close to my ear.
"Smile, Rachael," he whispered. His voice was like velvet, but his fingers were like iron. "Look like you are happy to be home. Look like you love me. If you look scared, they will ask questio
