Page 64 of Lavish

Her smile widened, the satisfaction in her eyes unmistakable.

“Good girl,” she purred.

Suddenly, the gallery doors flew open, and a bunch of environmental protesters began yelling and waving signs. Chaos erupted.

She started to walk toward the exit. “I wonder how they got in.”

Around us, guests recoiled in shock, their faces masks of confusion and fear as chants filled the air.

“Stop the destruction! Save our homes!” one of the protesters shouted, waving a sign that read “Stop the greenwashing!”

My mind started cataloging threats, exits, faces I didn’t recognize. My feet moved before I could stop them, heading straight for the protestors.

Another protester with a megaphone yelled, “Your company is ruining our environment! We won’t stand for it!”

A hand wrapped around my arm, firm but not rough, pulling me to a stop. “Serena.” Miles’s voice cut through the noise like velvet over steel—low, commanding, dangerously close.

“We need to do something,” I said firmly, my eyes scanning the scene. “I can’t let them ruin Laurene’s event.”

His breath grazed my ear, and despite the chaos around us, my pulse tripped for an entirely different reason.

“You need to stay out of this,” Miles said. “Let security do their damn job.”

“I can’t.” I tugged at my wrist, the rough fabric of his shirt scratching against my skin as I tried to escape his firm grip. “I can’t ruin this for Laurene.”

“Stop. I’m serious.”

He stepped in close, face inches from mine, his hand curling around my arm with quiet authority. Not enough to hurt. Justenough to remind me he was there. That he wasn’t going to let me go barreling into chaos without him.

“You’re not going over there. Don’t draw attention to yourself.” His gaze flicked to the protestors, then back to me. “We don’t need to make this worse.”

“Watch me,” I bit out.

I pulled myself away and headed into the fire.

“Excuse me!” I called out, my voice cutting through the noise.“If you have concerns, we can discuss them calmly. This is an event meant to celebrate art, not to turn into a battleground of opinions on false facts.”

One of the protesters shouted back, “You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“This is a misunderstanding,” I said coolly, stepping even closer. “Our goal has always been to bring progress, not destruction.”

“You think we’re just going to take your word for it?”

My jaw tightened. “I understand your frustration, but you’re misinformed. I have the reports to back it up.”

“Reports can be bought!” the protester retorted, his voice rising. “We’ve seen it happen before. Corporations like yours always find a way to twist the truth.”

“I’m not here to debate corporate ethics. You need to leave.”

The protestors were closing in, so I braced myself, but Miles stepped up and glared them down. “For fuck’s sake, Serena. Let security handle this.”

One of the protestors, his face twisted with fury, clutched a container of bright, vivid paint. I tried to pull Miles back, but he stood firm as a brick wall. The liquid splashed across his chest. Miles didn’t flinch. He remained motionless, the red paint dripping down from his face to his shoes.

Gasping, I recoiled with trembling hands as the crowd's chants grew frenzied.

“Security! Get these people out of here!” Laurene suddenly came forward, her voice sharp and piercing.

The security team surged forward, their boots pounding on the floor, pushing a wedge between us and the protesters. But that didn’t stop the chaos entirely. Some of the protesters were still fighting back, trying to make their point, while others were tackled to the ground as security closed in.