Chapter 7 - The Ultimate Humiliation
Richard’s face drained of all color.
He looked like a corpse.
“Turn it off!” he screamed, lunging toward the audio booth.
But an iron grip clamped onto his shoulder. Alexander tossed him back onto the floor like a ragdoll.
The audio continued playing.
It switched to a recording of Margaret.
It was a phone call between her and her accountant.
“Just take it from the charity fund! No one checks those books anyway. Move three hundred thousand to my personal account, I need to pay the country club fees.”
The wealthy guests, many of whom had donated to that very charity, began to shout in outrage.
Margaret clutched her chest, hyperventilating.
“It’s AI! It’s fake!” she shrieked, looking desperately at her former friends.
But no one believed her.
The evidence was undeniable.
Evelyn looked down at the pathetic family that had tortured her for years.
“You wanted to destroy me, Richard,” Evelyn said, her voice echoing in the grand hall.
“You wanted to use my son as a pawn to steal my wealth.”
She leaned down, her face inches from his.
“Did you really think the Sterling Syndicate wouldn’t find out?”
The name dropped like a bomb.
The guests whispered furiously.
Sterling? She’s a Sterling?
The pieces fell into place for everyone in the room.
The sudden bankruptcy. The frozen accounts. The media leaks.
They hadn't just angered a wealthy family; they had awakened a titan.
Richard fell to his knees.
The alcohol and fear broke his mind completely.
“Evelyn, please,” he sobbed, grasping at the hem of her red dress.
“I’m sorry. I was desperate. The company was failing. Please, don't take my son.”
Evelyn stepped back, pulling her dress away from his filthy hands.
“He is not your son,” she said coldly.
“A father protects. A father loves. You only saw a paycheck.”
Sirens began to wail in the distance, growing louder as they approached the venue.
“What is that?” Margaret panicked.
“That,” Evelyn said, checking her smartwatch—the very same watch that had started it all.
May you like
“Is the FBI. Embezzling charity funds is a federal crime, Margaret. And conspiracy to commit extortion is waiting for you, Richard.”
The police stormed the gala doors.
