Chapter 5 - The shifting of power
The sickening thud of Nathan hitting the marble floor echoed loudly over the murmuring crowd.
Serena looked down at her husband with an expression of absolute indifference.
One of the security guards kept a heavy boot pressed firmly between Nathan’s shoulder blades.
"Get off me!" Nathan screamed, struggling helplessly against the floor.
"Do you know who I am? I am Nathan Langley, and that woman is my wife!"
Eleanor rushed forward, her champagne-colored dress swishing violently.
"Let my son go immediately!" Eleanor screeched at the guards.
"Serena, tell these brutes to let him up, you are embarrassing our family!"
Serena slowly turned to face her mother-in-law, her crimson gown flowing perfectly behind her.
"Your family is nothing but a parasite attached to my wealth, Eleanor," Serena said, her voice carrying clearly through the silent room.
Eleanor gasped, taking a step back as if she had been physically struck.
Camille hid behind her mother, completely terrified of the woman she had mocked just hours earlier.
Vanessa tried to slowly slip away into the crowd, hoping to escape the catastrophic humiliation.
"Don't let her leave," Serena commanded without even turning her head.
Two more security guards instantly blocked the exit, grabbing Vanessa by both of her arms.
Vanessa shrieked, dropping her expensive designer handbag onto the floor.
"Serena, please, this is a misunderstanding!" Vanessa cried, fighting against the guards' grip.
Serena walked gracefully over to Vanessa and stopped inches from her face.
She reached out, her perfectly manicured fingers tracing the heavy sapphire necklace around Vanessa's throat.
"My father bought this in Geneva thirty years ago," Serena stated coldly.
With a swift, aggressive pull, Serena ripped the necklace off, snapping the delicate gold clasp in half.
Vanessa cried out in pain, clutching her neck.
"You are wearing stolen property, Vanessa," Serena whispered.
"And forgery of a financial proxy carries a mandatory federal prison sentence."
Nathan finally managed to push himself up onto his knees, his tailored tuxedo ruined and wrinkled.
"Serena, you can't be the Chairwoman," Nathan gasped, his mind desperately refusing to accept the reality.
"You're a housewife, you didn't even have a bank account when I met you!"
Serena looked at him with a smile so cold it could freeze the ocean.
"I hid my wealth because I wanted a man who loved me, not a man who loved my money," Serena explained calmly.
"Instead, I found a thief who stole from my company to buy cheap gifts for his mistress."
Serena turned her back on him and looked directly at the elite guests watching the drama unfold.
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"Lock the ballroom doors," Serena ordered her security team.
"No one leaves until I show this city exactly how Nathan Langley built his fake empire."
