Chapter 3 - The Hidden Recording
I froze in my tracks, my heart pounding heavily against my ribs.
Ethan held the blue folder high in the air for all the guests to see.
"When you signed that document to help with our wedding venue insurance, you actually co-signed a massive commercial loan," Ethan explained with a wicked smile.
Vivian suddenly regained her composure, letting out a loud, victorious cackle.
She realized that if my father crushed their company, I would be legally responsible for millions of dollars in defaulted corporate loans.
My father’s attorney stepped forward and demanded to see the physical document immediately.
Ethan proudly handed it over, crossing his arms with arrogant satisfaction.
The attorney quickly scanned the legal jargon, and his expression grew uncomfortably grim.
He leaned over and whispered to my father that the signature was verified and the trap was legally binding.
Vivian walked slowly toward me, her heels clicking menacingly against the floorboards.
"You are going to marry my son, and your father is going to forgive our debts," she whispered venomously.
She thought she had successfully backed the great Richard Vale into a corner.
She had no idea that she had vastly underestimated the daughter he had raised.
"You told me that document was just a standard liability form for the catering company," I said, keeping my voice perfectly steady.
"It does not matter what I told you," Vivian sneered. "Your signature is on the dotted line, you stupid girl."
I slowly reached into my elegant clutch and pulled out my smartphone.
"You are right, Vivian, my signature is definitely on that paper," I agreed calmly.
I unlocked my screen and opened a hidden audio application that I used for taking therapy notes at my school.
"But I have a habit of recording my verbal agreements whenever I do business with people I do not trust."
I pressed the play button, and the audio recording echoed loudly through the ballroom speakers via Bluetooth.
Vivian’s voice rang out clearly, explicitly promising that the document was only for catering insurance and had zero financial obligations.
The legal definition of criminal fraud played on a continuous loop for every elite guest to hear.
Vivian’s face turned a violent shade of purple as she lunged forward to smash my phone.
Before she could reach me, the heavy wooden doors of the ballroom crashed open with explosive force.
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A booming, furious voice ordered everyone in the room to freeze exactly where they were standing.
Arthur Blackwood, Vivian's notoriously absent husband, marched into the room flanked by a dozen heavily armed mercenaries.
