Chapter 14 - The Charity Gala
Valeria Montenegro, entirely unaware that her housekeeper had confessed, decided to play the ultimate game of public relations. That evening, her family hosted their annual, highly publicized charity gala at the city's grandest museum. It was a calculated move to project power, wealth, and untouchable grace, effectively burying any rumors of Alejandro leaving her.
The grand ballroom was packed with politicians, celebrities, and billionaires. Valeria floated through the crowd in a stunning, crimson designer gown, smiling radiantly for the flashing cameras of the society press.
She was holding a glass of champagne, laughing politely at a joke told by a state senator, when the heavy oak doors of the ballroom swung violently open.
The music abruptly stopped. The chatter died down to a stunned silence.
Alejandro Reyes walked into the room. He wasn't wearing a tuxedo. He wore a dark, tailored suit, and his expression was terrifyingly cold. But he wasn't alone. Walking beside him, radiating an aura of absolute, aristocratic fury, was his mother, Isabella.
Valeria’s smile faltered, but she quickly recovered, adopting a mask of tragic heartbreak. She stepped forward, playing to the crowd.
"Alejandro," Valeria said loudly, her voice trembling with fake emotion. "You shouldn't be here. You need help, darling. Your paranoia—"
"Save the performance, Valeria," Isabella interrupted, her voice cutting through the silent room like a diamond blade. The matriarch stepped up to the microphone on the central podium, commanding the attention of the entire city's elite.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Isabella announced, her tone unyielding. "The Montenegro family has long hidden behind the facade of charity. But tonight, you are drinking champagne funded by violent Russian syndicates."
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Murmurs of shock rippled through the crowd. Valeria’s father turned pale, stepping forward to intervene, but Isabella raised a hand, silencing him.
"Worse," Isabella continued, looking directly into Valeria's terrified eyes. "This woman, desperate to secure our family's fortune to pay her criminal debts, attempted to poison my four-year-old granddaughter."
