** Harper **
The gala, which had already turned out way too chaotic for Harper's expectations, dissolved into even more chaos. In the next few moments of mayhem that followed, everything became a disorganized blur, and she could only register a handful of scenes that happened all at the same time:
A middle-aged woman, probably the old Sterling CEO's wife, rushed onto the podium, screaming and crying for the event staff to call an ambulance. A group of emergency responders pushed through the crowd with a stretcher, and then the area was blocked off completely by security.
The president of Voyage Bank — Vanessa's father — looked pissed, as if profoundly offended that anyone dared to faint at such an inopportune timing. The president of Sanderson Funds, on the other hand, cocked his head and regarded the scene with a skeptical expression.
