Chapter 32 - The Red Light
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Across the ballroom, massive digital screens that had been displaying the Vance Global corporate logo suddenly flickered with green static.
Victor Vance glanced up at the screen above the bar, his face draining of color.
"What is that?" Victor demanded, turning to his head of security. "Fix that screen immediately!"
The ambient music stopped abruptly. The heavy speakers throughout the hall emitted a sharp tone, followed by the appearance of a massive document on every display screen in the room.
It was the shadow ledger.
Names, dates, offshore bank accounts, and illegal wire transfers flashed in high-definition clarity for the entire ballroom to see. Beneath the document, a live audio recording began playing through the sound system—the voice of Victor Vance arranging a bribe for a federal judge in Oregon.
Gasps erupted across the room. Cell phones were pulled out instantly as guests began filming the screens.
"Turn it off! Cut the power!" Arthur screamed, losing his composure completely as he grabbed his security chief by the jacket. "Cut the main feed now!"
"It's not coming from our control room, sir!" the guard yelled back over the mounting panic in the crowd. "It's being routed through a satellite uplink!"
Amidst the chaos, guests began running for the exit doors, knocking over tables and crystal glassware.
Victor Vance pulled a small black pistol from his jacket pocket, his eyes wild with desperation as he aimed it directly at my chest.
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"You ruined us, Clara!" Victor roared.
Before he could pull the trigger, a shot echoed through the ballroom.
