CHAPTER 85

CITY ART FOUNDATION ~ NEW YORK

The city's Arts Foundation gala was the most dazzling event of the season.

It was also celebrated at Vertigo, the newest and most exclusive of Gabriel Thorne's flagship clubs, a fact that felt like a personal joke to Aria.

The place was a statement: Thorne's world was swallowing everything.

Aria stood near a pillar of swirling ice sculpture, an unbroken glass of champagne in her hand. She wore a liquid silver dress that felt like armor. Across the crowd