Chapter 9 - The Gala of Deceit
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A week later, the annual Ashcroft Foundation Gala was held at the Plaza Hotel. It was the social event of the season, a mandatory appearance for anyone in the family.
Nathaniel refused to go, but Clare insisted.
"If you hide, they win," she told him in the penthouse. "You have to go. You have to look them in the eye and show them they haven't broken you."
Reluctantly, Nathaniel put on his tuxedo. He arrived at the Plaza alone, instantly swarmed by photographers and business partners.
Across the ballroom, his mother, Eleanor, watched him with a predatory gleam in her eye. Beside her stood Victoria Bowmont, looking radiant in a custom silver gown.
"He looks miserable," Victoria murmured, sipping her champagne.
"He's throwing a tantrum," Eleanor replied coldly. "He'll come to his senses once the reality of his little girlfriend's ruined life sets in."
Nathaniel grabbed a drink and tried to avoid the Bowmonts, but Harrison Bowmont cornered him near the ice sculpture.
"Nathaniel, my boy," Harrison boomed, clapping him on the shoulder. "We need to talk about the merger. And the wedding. Victoria is getting impatient."
"There is no wedding, Harrison," Nathaniel said sharply. "I've made that clear to my father."
Harrison's smile vanished. "Douglas tells me you're having a minor crisis of faith. Let me be clear, son. If you back out of this arrangement, Bowmont Global will pull our funding from the European expansion. Ashcroft Holdings will lose billions."
"Then lose it," Nathaniel spat.
Suddenly, Nathaniel's phone buzzed in his pocket. A text message from an unknown number.
Check the news.
Nathaniel frowned and opened his browser. The top headline on a major gossip site made his blood run cold.
BILLIONAIRE HEIR'S SECRET SCANDAL: ASHCROFT MISTRESS PREGNANT IN EXTORTION PLOT?
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They hadn't just ruined Clare's career. They were destroying her publicly.
Nathaniel dropped his glass. It shattered on the marble floor as he ran for the exit.
