The chandeliers glittered like falling stars above the grand ballroom of the Imperial Hotel. Silk gowns swept across polished marble, champagne glasses clinked, and the city’s elite moved in clusters, whispering behind jeweled fans.

Tonight was the annual Crown Charity Gala, the most coveted event on the social calendar. And tonight, Aurora Veyra once discarded, mocked, erased would walk back into the spotlight.

Her palms pressed lightly against the satin of her midnight-blue gown as she ...