Chapter 6 - The Betrayal
I quietly crept toward my mother's bedroom door and pressed my ear against the cold, polished wood.
I could clearly hear her violently sobbing and frantically whispering to someone on her cellular phone.
She was desperately pleading with the person on the other end to give her just a little more time to find the money.
I completely realized that my mother was not just a passive victim of my father's arrogance, but actively involved in something dark.
I gently knocked on the door and slowly pushed it open before she could tell me to leave.
She jumped in pure terror, hastily hiding a thick stack of past-due casino markers under her expensive silk pillows.
I locked the door behind me and calmly demanded that she tell me the absolute truth right now.
She completely broke down, confessing that she had accumulated a massive, illegal gambling debt over the last ten years.
My father had recently discovered her secret and was viciously blackmailing her to ensure her complete obedience.
He had explicitly threatened to throw her out onto the streets with absolutely nothing if she ever questioned his authority.
I looked at the woman who had spent my entire life ignoring my pain, and I felt nothing but profound pity.
I told her about the money laundering scheme and how my father was planning to send Camila to federal prison.
Her tear-filled eyes widened in sheer horror as she finally understood the true depth of her husband's depravity.
She aggressively wiped her tears and firmly stated that she would never let him destroy her daughters.
She revealed that my father kept a hidden master ledger on a secure server located in the basement wine cellar.
This specific ledger contained the unencrypted routing numbers proving Julian and my father were the true account holders.
We quickly formulated a highly dangerous plan to completely extract the data during the engagement gala the following night.
The evening of the massive gala finally arrived, filling the mansion with hundreds of wealthy, influential guests.
I descended the grand staircase wearing a stunning, tailored crimson gown that Alexander had secretly sent me.
The entire ballroom fell completely silent as the guests stared at the powerful, confident woman I had become.
My father glared at me with pure hatred, furiously realizing he could no longer completely control or humiliate me.
I smoothly ignored him and seamlessly blended into the crowded room, quietly waiting for my mother's signal.
During the massive toast, my mother deliberately spilled a tray of red wine directly onto Julian's expensive white tuxedo.
I used the chaotic distraction to quickly slip out of the ballroom and sprint down to the dark wine cellar.
I easily located the hidden server behind a rack of vintage wine and rapidly plugged in my decryption drive.
May you like
The screen suddenly flashed a bright, angry red warning message indicating the system was currently locked.
Someone had already manually initiated a complete data wipe sequence exactly two minutes ago.
