Chapter 3 - The Tainted Crown
Julian looked like a man who had just watched his entire world burn to ash.
He crumpled the legal document in his fist and backed away from us without saying another word.
Dalia stood completely abandoned in the middle of the dance floor.
She glared at me, her beautiful face twisting into a mask of pure venom.
"You think you are so incredibly clever, don't you?" Dalia sneered, stepping aggressively into my personal space.
"I am just taking back what always belonged to me," I replied, refusing to break eye contact.
Dalia let out a haughty, dismissive laugh.
"Julian upgraded because you were a dry, barren liability."
"He told me all about how you used to cry on the bathroom floor like a pathetic loser."
My chest tightened for a fraction of a second, the old wounds threatening to reopen.
But the tiny, sudden flutter of a kick inside my stomach reminded me of exactly who I was now.
"Julian told you a lot of lies, Dalia," I said smoothly.
Gabriel stepped forward, looking down at the twenty-six-year-old beauty queen with total indifference.
"Speaking of lies, Miss Fontaine, how is your reign as Miss Allesian going?" Gabriel asked casually.
Dalia puffed out her chest, adjusting the massive diamond ring on her left hand.
"It is going perfectly, considering I am the most popular titleholder in the history of the pageant," she bragged.
"That is fascinating," Gabriel mused.
"Because Ascend Capital is the primary sponsor of the Allesian Pageant."
Dalia’s confident smirk instantly faltered.
"We recently ordered a comprehensive financial audit of the pageant's judging committee," Gabriel continued.
"It turns out the lead judge received a wire transfer of fifty thousand dollars the night before you mysteriously won the crown."
Dalia’s face turned an alarming shade of chalky white.
"You cannot prove anything," she whispered frantically, looking around to see if any reporters were listening.
"We already proved it," I told her, stepping closer so only she could hear me.
"The wire transfer came directly from a shell account linked to Julian’s company."
"Which means your fiancé bought your crown with stolen investor money."
May you like
Gabriel checked his expensive gold watch with a bored expression.
"The pageant committee is releasing a public statement stripping you of your title in exactly five minutes."
