Chapter 8 - The Society Gala
Three months later.
The Plaza Hotel’s Grand Ballroom was decorated in breathtaking white roses, crystal chandeliers, and golden ribbons for the annual New York Children's Hospital Charity Gala—the most exclusive event of the city's high-society calendar.
Five hundred of the state’s elite—politicians, billionaires, judges, and high-ranking socialites—filled the room.
At the center of attention was the main table, reserved for the Moretti family.
Sophia sat in a custom midnight-blue silk gown designed by the world's top fashion house in Paris. Her dark hair was styled in an elegant updo, held by a diamond tiara, and around her neck hung a three-strand diamond necklace. She looked radiant, powerful, and impeccably regal—a true Mafia Queen.
Beside her, Alessandro looked striking in a custom black tuxedo, his hand resting securely over hers on the table.
Sitting beside them were Leo, wearing a miniature tuxedo, and little Lily, wearing a dark blue velvet dress that matched her mother’s, happily playing with a new stuffed rabbit with blue silk ears.
Suddenly, a woman in a bright red dress approached their table with an arrogant smirk on her face.
It was Lady Victoria Sterling—a prominent high-society socialite who had long sought to marry her own daughter off to Alessandro.
"Alessandro, darling," Victoria purred, ignoring Sophia completely. "What a chaotic few months it’s been for your family. We heard rumors about... unfortunate security incidents at your estate."
Victoria then turned her cold, judgmental gaze onto Sophia, scanning her dress with a patronizing smile.
"And this must be the former staff member we’ve been reading about in the tabloids," Victoria sneered softly, keeping her voice low so only the table could hear. "How quaint. I suppose it’s charming how generous you are, Alessandro... elevating a housemaid to sit at a table she could never afford."
Before Alessandro could even move his hand to crush the woman, Sophia stood up smoothly.
She smoothed her midnight-blue silk dress, held her chin high, and looked down at Victoria Sterling with the quiet, supreme authority of a woman who ruled an empire.
"Lady Sterling," Sophia spoke, her voice clear, elegant, and perfectly poised, carrying across the surrounding tables. "I may have cleaned floors in the past, but I learned how to identify dirt very quickly."
A quiet wave of gasps rippled through the nearby tables.
"And speaking of afford," Sophia continued smoothly, pulling an iPad from her leather clutch, "as the President of the Moretti Children’s Foundation, I noticed your family’s annual pledge of two million dollars to the oncology wing is currently four months overdue. Would you like my secretary to send a collection notice to your husband's bank in Zurich?"
Victoria Sterling’s face flushed bright red. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She looked at Alessandro, hoping for support, but Alessandro was looking at his wife with pure, unadulterated pride and dark amusement.
"You heard my wife, Victoria," Alessandro said coldly. "Pay the pledge by morning, or my foundation will buy out your husband's real estate firm by noon."
Victoria turned on her heel and practically sprinted away from the table, humiliated before half the city.
Alessandro pulled Sophia down onto his lap, wrapping his massive arms around her waist, kissing her neck softly in front of the entire ballroom.
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"You are incredible, Mrs. Moretti," Alessandro whispered into her ear.
"I learned from the best, Mr. Moretti," Sophia smiled, leaning back against his broad chest, holding his hand tight.
