Chapter 10 - Breaking News
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Outside the library doors, the noise from the ballroom grew louder. It wasn't the sound of music or polite laughter anymore; it was the sound of chaos.
Tessa knocked sharply on the library door, then pushed it open. She held her smartphone out, her eyes wide.
"Maya... it's on the news," Tessa said.
Every phone in the library chimed simultaneously as emergency alerts broadcasted across every major news network in the city. The headline on the screen read: FLASH: WHITMORE FINANCIAL UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION FOR MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR FRAUD SCHEME.
Through the open library door, we could see the ballroom falling apart. Guests were practically running toward the main exit doors. Senator Sterling was already gone, leaving his half-empty wine glass on a table. Judge Hayes was hastily pulling his coat on, avoiding eye contact with anyone as he sprinted for his limousine.
High society didn't stand by its friends when the feds came knocking; they scattered like rats from a sinking ship.
"Look at them," I said, stepping out into the hallway to watch the grand exit of the city’s elite. "Your friends, Eleanor. The people whose opinion you cared about so much that you ruined my dress just to feel superior."
Eleanor slowly walked out of the library, staring at the emptying ballroom. Her grand wedding, her carefully curated reputation, her family’s legacy—all turned to ash in less than two hours.
"You destroyed us," Eleanor whispered, her knuckles white as she clutched her velvet dress.
"No," a voice spoke up from behind me.
May you like
My father walked forward, standing side-by-side with me.
"You destroyed yourselves, Eleanor," Arthur Vance said quietly. "Five years ago, when you stole my company and called me a nobody. We just brought the light so everyone could see the dirt."
