Chapter 6 - Shadows Unmasked
Grant gestured to the massive digital projection screens hanging above the stage.
"Before we begin our charity auction, I want to share a brief video showcasing the integrity of our inner circle," Grant said smoothly.
Owen tapped a button on his tablet near the side of the stage.
The large projection screens flickered to life. But instead of a promotional video for the foundation, the screen displayed crystal-clear, high-definition security footage dated three days prior.
The entire ballroom gasped.
The video showed Vivienne Cross standing inside the Mercer estate nursery. The timestamp was clearly visible. The video showed Vivienne pulling a small amber glass bottle from her pocket, attempting to force liquid down baby Leo’s throat while the toddler cried and fought back.
Then, the footage showed Tessa Monroe barging into the frame, snatching the bottle away, and striking Vivienne across the face to protect the child.
Audio from the room played loudly over the ballroom speakers:
"She’s taking him!" Vivienne’s recorded voice shrieked on the video. "I came in and she was trying to leave with him!"
The scene shifted to footage of Vivienne entering Grant’s home office late at night, sitting at the master computer terminal, using a cloned digital security key to systematically erase the house security logs and send false legal separation emails to St. Jude’s Institute.
The ballroom exploded into murmurs of horror and outrage. Photographers turned their cameras away from the stage and began frantically snapping photos of Vivienne Cross.
"That's a fake!" Vivienne screamed, her voice cracking as she backed away toward the exit. "That video is altered! Grant, she’s lying to you! Elena is insane!"
"The video was restored from an offsite, un-hackable cloud backup server that you didn't know existed, Vivienne," Elena said, stepping up to the microphone. Her voice rang clear and unwavering through the room. "You thought you could isolate me. You thought you could poison my son, ruin my marriage, and steal my family’s legacy while I was grieving my father."
Two uniformed police officers stepped through the ballroom doors, blocking Vivienne’s escape route. Beside them stood Arthur Pendelton—Grant’s corporate vice president—who was already wearing handcuffs.
"Arthur Pendelton was taken into custody an hour ago," Grant added into the microphone. "He has already signed a full confession detailing how you paid him three hundred thousand dollars to help you forge the financial diversion papers to drain the Mercer Trust."
Vivienne looked around the room in absolute terror. The high-society peers who had smiled at her minutes ago were now staring at her with utter disgust.
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"Get your hands off me!" Vivienne shrieked as the police officers pulled her arms behind her back, snapping heavy steel handcuffs around her wrists. "Grant! You can't do this to me! My father built this company with yours!"
"Your father was a man of honor," Grant said coldly as she was dragged past the stage. "You are a predator. And you will spend the next twenty years behind bars."
