Chapter 4 - The Gala of Reckoning
The opportunity to strike back arrived sooner than expected.
The Mercer Global Annual Charity Gala was the most exclusive social event of the winter, held at the historic Chicago Cultural Center. Every major investor, politician, and media outlet in the city was in attendance.
I arrived late, wearing a simple but stunning floor-length midnight-blue gown. I wasn't alone. Flanking me were Daniel, Marcus, and my father, who had flown in from Denver the moment he heard about the custody threat.
The grand ballroom was a spectacle of white orchids and ice sculptures. Near the main stage, Adrian was standing beside his mother, Victoria, and Vanessa. Vanessa looked radiant in a silver gown, though her smile seemed forced, her eyes constantly darting toward the entrance.
When I walked in, a quiet murmur rippled through the crowd.
Adrian’s head snapped toward me, his eyes widening in shock. Victoria’s champagne glass paused halfway to her mouth, her face hardening into a mask of pure aristocratic rage.
"What is she doing here?" Victoria hissed, loud enough for the nearby guests to hear. "Security! Remove this woman immediately!"
"I wouldn't do that, Victoria," I said, my voice calm and clear as I walked toward the stage.
The paparazzi, sensing drama, pressed forward, their cameras flashing rapidly.
"Claire," Adrian said, stepping down from the stage, his eyes filled with a desperate plea. "Please, don't do this here."
"I tried to do this privately, Adrian," I said, pulling a flash drive from my small clutch purse. "But your mother and your fiancée seem to prefer operating in the shadows. I think it’s time the board of Mercer Global saw what they’ve been funding."
I handed the flash drive to the chief AV technician, who was standing near the projection screen at the side of the stage. He hesitated, but a stern look from Daniel—who had quietly slipped him a thousand-dollar tip—convinced him to plug it in.
The massive screen above the stage lit up.
Instead of the corporate promotional video, the screen displayed a series of emails, bank transfers, and recorded phone logs. The topmost document was the authorization form signed by Vanessa Cole, directing corporate funds to pay off my hospital nurses to deny Adrian access to my medical records.
May you like
A collective gasp echoed through the ballroom.
"What is this?!" one of the Mercer Global board members yelled from the front row. "Victoria, is this corporate embezzlement?!"
