Chapter 8 - The Grand Exposure
The Vanguard Shareholder Gala was held at the Plaza Hotel. It was a sea of charcoal suits and champagne. Beatrice stood on the grand staircase, holding a microphone, preparing to reassure the investors that her son's "breakdown" would not affect the company's bottom line.
Victoria stood beside her, playing the role of the grieving, supportive fiancé.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Beatrice projected, her voice commanding the room. "Vanguard Enterprises remains a beacon of stability in an unpredictable world—"
"You wouldn't know stability if it indicted you, Mother."
The crowd gasped. The heavy ballroom doors swung open. Julian walked in, wearing a sharp, custom-tailored suit he had bought using Marcus’s credit card. On his right was Claire, looking absolutely breathtaking in a simple, elegant black dress. On his left was Marcus, holding a heavy briefcase.
"Security!" Beatrice screamed, her composure shattering. "Arrest them!"
"The police are already on their way, Beatrice," Marcus shouted, pulling a stack of documents from the briefcase and throwing them onto the nearest tables. "But they aren't here for us."
Julian walked straight up to the staircase, looking his mother dead in the eye. "I have the black ledger, Mother. I know about the forged bank statements. I know about the blackmailed judges."
May you like
Beatrice’s face drained of color.
"But you," Julian turned to Victoria, pulling a single sheet of paper from his pocket. "You are the real piece of work. Tell me, Victoria, how much of my mother's money did you funnel to your shell companies in the Caymans? Was it forty million, or fifty?"
