Chapter 8 - The Public Downfall
Vanessa’s laughter died in her throat. "What are you talking about? You're a crazy domestic worker! Security, remove her!"
But none of the security guards moved. They stood like statues, their eyes fixed on the massive panoramic projection screens behind the podium.
Suddenly, the screens lit up, cutting off the live broadcast of Vanessa’s face. Instead, a crystal-clear audio and video recording began to play. It was a hidden camera feed from the Cross penthouse, dated just three nights ago.
On the screen, Vanessa was pacing frantically, speaking over the speakerphone to Cole Mercer.
"I don't care if the maid dies from the workload, Cole!" Vanessa’s recorded voice boomed through the ballroom, terrifyingly clear. "Just make sure her signature is on the foundation transfers before Ethan gets back on Sunday. If he finds out about the twelve million, we blame the Mexican. He’ll believe us over her anyway. She’s nothing but a stray dog I let into the house."
The ballroom erupted into absolute chaos. Reporters were shouting, standing on chairs to get a better angle, while the wealthy donors in the front row looked away in utter disgust. Vanessa’s father, the Senator, who had been sitting in the VIP section, stood up and walked out of the room through a side door, completely abandoning his daughter to the wolves.
Vanessa spun around, staring at the screen in horror, her hands shaking so violently she dropped her notes. When she heard her own voice confessing to the entire conspiracy, she realized the truth with a sickening thud in her stomach.
The woman she had humiliated, the woman she had forced to scrub floors, the woman whose child she had treated like dirt, had been preparing her downfall all along.
"This is fake! It’s an AI generation!" Vanessa screamed, turning back to the crowd, her face twisted in a mask of ugly fury. "Ethan, stop this! You can't do this to me!"
Ethan stepped forward, his presence commanding the room to fall silent once more. He looked down at the woman he had almost married with nothing but cold pity.
"It's over, Vanessa. The federal agents at the back are here with a federal warrant for grand larceny, human trafficking violations, and corporate fraud. Your father can't save you. Your money can't buy you out of this."
Two female federal agents walked onto the stage, taking Vanessa by the arms. She kicked and screamed, her designer shoes scuffing against the stage floor as she was dragged away in handcuffs in front of millions of live television viewers. The mighty Cross dynasty had fallen in less than five minutes.
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Ethan turned to Elena, offering his arm with deep respect. "Shall we go home, Elena?"
She smiled, a genuine, beautiful smile that reached her eyes for the first time since they had met. She slid her hand into the crook of his arm. "Yes, Ethan. Let's go home."
