Chapter 9 - The Masquerade
The transfer bar hit one hundred percent with a soft chime.
Chloe snatched the flash drive from the port and backed away from the desk.
Preston advanced on her, his grip tightening on the heavy metal club.
"Give me the drive, Chloe," he ordered, his voice echoing in the silent suite.
"You're insane, Preston," she spat, her heart pounding frantically.
"You framed Asher, you ruined his sister, and you tried to kill us tonight."
"I protected the natural order of things!" Preston yelled, his facade finally shattering.
He lunged forward, swinging the club in a wide arc.
Chloe ducked, the metal whistling just inches over her head and smashing into the expensive computer monitor.
Sparks flew, plunging half the room into darkness.
In the confusion, Chloe bolted for the door.
She sprinted down the hallway, not looking back until she was safely locked inside her own room.
She collapsed on her bed, clutching the flash drive tightly.
She had the proof, but she couldn't just hand it to the campus security.
Preston owned them, just like he owned everyone else.
She needed a public stage where he couldn't cover it up.
She needed the masquerade gala.
The next evening, the grand ballroom of St. Jude Academy was transformed into a glittering Venetian fantasy.
Students wore elaborate masks and expensive gowns, completely unaware of the war happening behind the scenes.
Chloe wore a deep crimson dress and a black lace mask, moving through the crowd like a ghost.
She made her way to the audio-visual booth overlooking the dance floor.
The student running the booth was a sophomore she had frequently bullied in the past.
"I need you to play this on the main screens," Chloe said, handing him the drive.
The boy hesitated, looking intimidated.
"If you do this, I promise you will never have to fear the Vault again," she swore.
He took the drive and plugged it in.
Chloe walked down the stairs, stepping right into the center of the ballroom.
Preston was there, wearing a silver mask, holding a glass of champagne.
He saw her and started walking toward her with murderous intent.
Suddenly, the music stopped.
The massive screens flanking the stage flickered to life.
The unedited video played loudly, clearly showing Preston's thug breaking into the servers.
The ballroom erupted into gasps of shock as the raw truth was laid bare.
Preston froze, his face draining of all color.
"It's a fake!" Preston screamed to the crowd.
But it was too late.
The heavy oak doors of the ballroom burst open, and a line of federal agents marched in.
And leading them, looking completely unbothered in his leather jacket, was Asher Hayes.
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"It's over, Preston," Asher said loudly.
But Preston pulled something metallic from his tuxedo jacket, pointing it directly at Chloe.
