Elena’s POV

On the other side of the exhibition hall, the atmosphere near the front entrance had grown subtly strained.

I didn’t see it myself, but later, Xue Man would tell me that she’d checked her phone three times in less than five minutes. Each time, the screen remained stubbornly silent.

President Li stood beside her, hands clasped behind his back, eyes flicking toward the entrance with growing impatience. The VIP guests were due any moment now, and the absence of one person was ...